Finding Chasers
by pseudowhat
Summary: Chase is put in charge of a second diagnostic team. Now all he has to do his hire fellows. Too bad House is complicating matters. Special 2 CHAPTER UPDATE!
1. Prologue

Summary: Chase takes the job leading the second diagnostics team that Cuddy offered Foreman at the end of season 3. This is the story of him of him finding his own fellows.

Authors note: I actually came up with this idea a couple of months before season 4 started. I have taken some stuff that I've seen from eps 4.1and 4.2, integrated it, but the story doesn't really have anything to do with what's on TV at the moment.

My first fanfic. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Do not own House/ David Shore characters**.

* * *

Chase's Dream Team

Prologue

Chase paces in the dark.

The door opens, two pairs of feet shuffle in to the room, and close the door behind him.

"Did he see you?"

"No. He's too busy making the newbie's reenact the latest episode of General Hospital."

Chase turns on the light, illuminating the janitors closet.

In front of him is a short, scrawny leprechaun looking man, and a tall, mousy woman that had tattoo on her neck creeping out of her shirt collar. He hands them two medical files.

"Alright, differential diagnosis. Male, 42, presented with fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, joint pain, headache, hypoglycemia, and hyper pigmentation"

"What about cytomegalovirus?" suggests the man.

"No, he doesn't have any rashes."

"Meningitis?" suggest the woman.

"There's no brain swelling."

The door slams open. Chase turns around and groans. The last person he wanted to see stands before them.

"Nice, threesome! Mind if I join?" House asks mockingly. "Chase, you know Cuddy won't be happy that you haven't learned your lesson from last time, and are still doing kinky things in the closet. Lesley, two men, I thought you were a lesbian. And Turner, I thought you didn't like to share."

Turner and Lesley both clench their jaws. Lesley actually balls her fist and takes a step towards house, but Turner puts a hand on her shoulder.

House slams his cane on the ground, causing everyone to jump.

"You two, go do a stress test and pet scan on our patient."

Turner and Lesley scramble out the door.

"And don't let me catch you consulting with him again, or your fired! They're my fellows. Get your own!" House growls at Chase. He slams the door shut, leaving Chase alone in the dark.

* * *

Please r&r! 


	2. Needing a Team

Summary: Chase takes the job leading the second diagnostics team that Cuddy offered Foreman at the end of season 3. This is the story of him of him finding his own fellows.

Authors note: I actually came up with this idea a couple of months before season 4 started. I have taken some stuff that I've seen from eps 4.1and 4.2, and integrated it, but the story doesn't really have anything to do with what's on TV at the moment.

My first fanfic. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Do not own House/ David Shore characters**

* * *

Needing a Team

"What are we going to do about Chase?" asks Cuddy. "It's been one month and he hasn't hired a team yet."

Cuddy paces in her office. House sits on the couch, happy that, for once, Cuddy wasn't getting worked up over him.

"You have to make him hire a team," says Cuddy.

"What do you want me to do? Put his feet in boiling water, and make him throw darts at CV's on the wall?" retorts House.

"Please tell me, that's not how you chose the top ten," Wilson asks dryly, leaning on the door frame.

House shrugs his shoulders and smiles mischievously.

"What the hell are you doing here?" asks Cuddy, finally realizing that Wilson is in the room also.

"I thought this was a House employment issue. Did you try threatening Chase?"

"I told him a week ago that he would have clinic duty until hired a team."

"But he has a patient now."

"He found him while working in the clinic. He kept him in the clinic all day yesterday, than admitted him to the Internal Medicine Department instead of Diagnostics, so the patient is still technically a clinic patient."

"That sneaky minx. I taught him well." House muses.

"He's worst than you!" Cuddy declares, flopping exasperatedly into her chair. House and Wilson chuckle. Never had they thought that the mild- mannered Aussie would put Cuddy in such distress. Neither did she, apparently. "I can't force him with clinic duty, he actually works, and he doesn't have any vices I can exploit."

"Don't you mean habits to support?" House says as he pops a Vicodin in his mouth. "You need to hire more addicts."

Cuddy rolls her eyes. "How did you get him to do your bidding."

"I flashed him some leg."

"House," Cuddy said warningly.

"Well if he was especially whiny, I threatened to make his life a living hell," Cuddy glares at House, "since you've tried that already, there's always humiliation, or emotional blackmail as I'd like to call it."

"But I don't know anything about Chase!" Cuddy says exasperatedly. "I know three things about him, he's a good doctor, both his parents are dead, and he's shacking up with Cameron."

"What kind of administrator are you!" House admonishes her. "Not knowing your employees, shame." House and Wilson shake their heads, but for two completely different reasons. "Then again, you can order Cameron not to sleep with him, until he hires a team."

"That's sexual harassment, House!"

"You don't have to do it so obviously. Just schedule her for all the ER shifts at night. They'll never see each other."

"That hurts Cameron, not Chase. Besides, they'd probably end up in a janitor's closet again."

House snorts remembering Chase doing a differential in the janitor's closet.

"What?"

"Nothing." House deflects, trying to contain his laugh. Wilson and Cuddy look at him strangely.

"Well what does Chase fear?" Wilson chimes in. "He fears losing his job. He fears people prying into his private life…"

A sly smile crosses Cuddy's face. "I know exactly what he fears, _who_ he fears, I should say."

Cuddy gets up and walks out the door.

House turns to Wilson. "So this is what it feels like to be you."

* * *

Chase looks over the balcony stretching as he watches people walk in and out of the hospital. He had been up thirty- six straight hours, in order to diagnosis his patient with Addison's disease. The good news was, he had figured out what was wrong with the patient, bad news was, that the patient had cancer. 

_Oh well, he's Wilson's problem now, thought Chase. _

Chase sees House pass underneath him followed by Turner, Lesley, and six new recruits.

House had hired a new team about six months ago, after putting forty people through a hellish six week process. A skittish doctor named Ashcroft, quit a couple of weeks ago, after he was attacked by a dog when he broke into a patient's home. The patient was dog sitting a Doberman at the time, and forgot to tell the staff. Luckily, Ashcroft managed to outrun the Doberman and spent six hours hiding in a closet. Chase thought that Ashcroft quitting was probably for the best. If the man was stupid enough to think that House would have helped him in that type of predicament, than he was probably not smart enough to work for House. House was watching _General Hospital_ when Ashcroft called for help and forgot about him. Ashcroft, didn't get out of the closet until the patient's cousin came over the house to pick up the dog. The man could handle being called Ass-cock all day, but decided that risking his life was too far above and beyond for a job, especially one with such an unpleasant boss, who constantly questioned his sexuality.

Cuddy gave stricter guidelines in order for House to do the "Survivor" process a second time. Only ten applicants, and two weeks. It was reasonable, and House didn't have the budget for it to go longer.

Chase shakes his head. He was glad that he didn't have to go through the same process when he became a fellow. He doubts that he would have stuck out enough to impress House when competing with such a large group.

Chase had been head of the second diagnostic team for a month. The only problem was, there was no team. Chase yawned. He really should hire someone. At the very least, it will give him an extra set of hands. Trying to run tests, while preventing someone from flatlining was difficult. He had been sneaking around using House's fellows in order to bounce idea's off of, but since House threaten to fire them, they won't be caught in the same airspace as him.

But what did Chase know about being a leader? Hiring a team? He was confident in his own diagnostic skills, but teaching others to improve their own? He questioned whether it was a mistake accepting the job so quickly. He liked being on the surgical team, but ultimately he missed the challenge and creativity of being in diagnostics. So when Cuddy offered him a job working in diagnostics, but not necessarily with House, Chase immediately accepted the offer.

Someone interrupts his trance and drops a stack of papers in his hands.

"You have three weeks to find your own team, or I'm going to let House pick it for you," says Dr. Cuddy. "And you cannot hire everyone who has sent their resume in, there's over eighty."

Cuddy gave him a triumphant smirk, turned her heel and sashays away.

Chase looks grimly at the stack of papers his hands. This is one task he would rather skip.

* * *

If House has cottages and ducklings, what should Chase's fellows be called?

Please R&R!


	3. Who to Choose

**Author's note**: Thanks for the reviews! I'd really wish this would happen on the show too, but that's why I'm writing it.

Also I'm giving Chase something that I've wanted him to have for a long time.

**Don't own House/ David Shore characters. All others are mine. **

* * *

Who to Choose

A tray clatters on the floor. Chase rubs his eyes. His vision was starting to get blurry and his head is starting ache.

"No wonder House didn't like to do interviews,"Chase grumbles.

The cafeteria is buzzing with doctors, patients, and visitors. His concentration wanes. The letters on the pages in front of him are starting to float up into the air. All the anonymous people with degrees, specialties, research projects, were looking all the same to him. Nothing stood out. Choosing three fellows looks like an impossible task.

Chase lets out a sigh. He thinks about how House choose Foreman and Cameron. They were each well qualified in their respective fields before coming to the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. House told them that he chose Foreman, because he used to be a criminal and had street smarts, and Cameron, because she was a gorgeous woman who was obviously damaged in some way. Chase knew that the only connecting factor between them, was that they peaked House's interest on a personal level. However, House didn't obtain the knowledge by asking them their medical training. What he did see through their interview was Cameron's role of patient's advocate, and Foreman's role of devil's advocate. House used them as a tool, for his making his own diagnosis.

"Hello, Chase!" greets a chirpy voice.

"Hello, Allison." Chase smiles, happy for a reprieve.

"That's a lot of paper work." She sits down next to him with her lunch tray.

"Nothing terribly important." Chase smiles and kisses her lips. When they finish, Cameron turns away from him and blushes. She takes a bite out of her tuna sandwich, looking around. Chase wonders who she's worried about catching them.

"So, how's your day going?"

"Nothing too special. I set a couple of broken bones, sewed a couple of stitches, and…I saw someone interesting in the hallway. "

"Who?"

"You'll see, I invited him to lunch." She takes another big bite out of her sandwich.

Chase shrugs his shoulders. He often wondered about Cameron's answer to taking the ER attending job at the PPTH. "I want to help people." It seemed so simple, and so Cameron, but he always had a nagging feeling that there was something more.

Chase reads over another CV, as he reaches out for his orange juice, knocking the bottle over onto the papers spread across the table.

"Shit!" Chase quickly rises to save the papers from turning into a soggy, orange mess. Cameron leaps from her seat to help him. They quickly wipe the excess orange fluid from the papers.

"These are CV's," Cameron stated. She holds up a wet paper.

Chase winced. "Yeah, they're for my team." Chase didn't like talking about the being rehired into Diagnostics. Cameron always seemed irked, but tried to hide it by mocking him for choosing to be House's puppy again. No matter what he said or did, everyone seemed convinced that he would revert to being House's whipping boy, even with his own team. Maybe that's why Cuddy hired him.

"House will like this one. She listed Miss Teen Florida as one of her accomplishments," said Cameron looking amused.

Chase frowns. "I'm choosing for my team, not House's."

"What team?"

Chase turns around. His mouth drops open. Standing behind him holding a lunch tray is, Eric Foreman. The last person on earth, he believed would return to the PPTH.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Chase asks, not bothering to hide the shock in his voice.

"Nice to see you too." Foreman says dryly. He takes a seat next to Cameron. He holds his tray up as a stack of folders are in his way. "Are these important?"

Chase quickly moved the papers out of Foreman's way. "I thought that you were at Mercy?"

"Yeah well," Foreman mumbles something underneath his breath, that neither Cameron or Chase could understand. They look at each other and shrug.

Chase watched Foreman closely. His head and shoulders are hunched over his food. He didn't have his usual air of arrogance about him.

"So you guys playing fantasy football or something?" Foreman asks, concentrating on his salad.

"Fantasy football?" Cameron asks.

"You were talking about teams when I arrived, and you two are the least athletic people I know."

Both Chase and Cameron roll their eyes at him.

"Chase is head of the second diagnostic team."

Foreman snorts, nearly spitting out his tomato juice. He finally looks up. "Cuddy, offered _that_ to _you_?"

"Apparently," Chase says, indignantly.

"Wait, how did you know about the second team?" Cameron asks.

"Cuddy offered it to me when I resigned," replies Foreman. That stuns Chase. He had no idea that Cuddy had decided to create another diagnostic team so long ago. Why did it take her five months to fill the job?

Cameron's eyes grew wide with shock. "But you killed someone! You both did!"

Both Chase and Foreman stare at Cameron. She puts her hand over her mouth and slumps back in her chair, surprised by her own outburst. Neither are sure whether to be amused or horrified by her response.

Foreman breaks the silence. "So any front runners?"

"No."

"You should get three people who are bigger brownnosers than you are. That way House can't turn them against you."

"Does that mean I should hire everyone who specializes in urology?"

Foreman shrugs.

"Why don't you hire people like us?" suggest Cameron. "It worked for House for three years."

"I'm not House." Chase mutters.

"Oh look. All my little chickadee's have all returned to the hen house." House coos.

Chase turns to see House and Wilson standing behind them. Chase groans. His lunch was about to get worse.

"Did this little piggy go wee, wee, wee all the way home?" House asks Foreman. Foreman scowls at him. "You know Chase, Instead of putting the old team together and getting a Cameron and a Foreman, you should put in for a Wilson. Your own little Jimmy Cricket and ATM machine rolled into one."

"Chase doesn't need a conscience. He's not you," said Wilson.

Chase stands up, not bothering to finish with lunch. "I've got clinic duty."

As he scrambles out of his seat, eight alarms went off simultaneously. Milling around by the soda machines were House's latest candidates all checking their pagers. "Patient crashing! Get moving!" House grabs the bag of chips off Wilson's plate and starts to walk away.

Wilson gives Chase a sympathetic smile. "You know if you need help…"

"Don't ask him!" House shouts as he walks away. "His staff is the most incompetent he hasn't used them in years!"

Wilson rolls his eyes. He takes Chase's seat, deciding to eat with Foreman and Cameron.

* * *

Cuddy had realized that Chase was doing clinic duty to avoid hiring fellows, so she sent him home early.

"Must be the first time Cuddy has sent someone home for doing too much clinic duty," Chase thought.

He takes a bunch of CV's out of his satchel as he walks towards the parking lot.

"Lucius Pantaloon. Unfortunate name," thought Chase. "If I hired him House would probably bellow from the mezzanine 'I need Chase's Pantaloon's!' to the whole hospital." He never thought he'd have to consider last names and House torture factor, as a reason to hire or not hire someone.

Chase steps off the curb.

Suddenly, a hand grabs his arm and jerks him back. A car zooms by just inches from him. Chase falls backwards onto the sidewalk, causing all his papers to fly up into the air and scatter.

"Son of a bitch!" Chase exclaims as he sees papers hovering above him, from his backside.

"Daughter actually," a female voice says dryly.

Chase looks around him to orientate himself. Lying next to him on her stomach is a beautiful, young woman with dark brown hair.

"I didn't mean you," Chase said as pulls himself off the sidewalk.

"That's good, because then I'd have to kick you in the nuts for calling my mom a bitch," she said jokingly.

Chase chuckles and he holds his hand out to help her up off the ground.

He takes a good look at her standing up. She is short and slim, maybe just a little over five feet tall. She looks to be in her early 20's, however he suspects that her face, like his, is deceptively young. Her gray business suit which now sported dirt stains along the front, was certainly not something he would have expected a college student to wear.

Chase realizes that he is staring into her bright brown eyes, where he thinks he sees a glint of something he recognizes. He quickly drops her hand and begins to pick up the CV's that were littered all over the ground around him. She bends down to help him.

"You know doctor, in this country, we drive on the right side of the road and look both ways before crossing the street."

"How did you know that?" asks Chase.

"The lovely British accent," she replies.

"I'm Australian!" Chase exclaims.

"Same difference, you both drive on the wrong side of the road."

Chase gasps, but she lets out a laugh.

"I'm joking! I'm Asian I understand. My mom is from the Philippines, and every time someone asks me what part of China that is, I want to slap them the back of their head. No one from New York would take being called a Texan lying down."

Chase smirks. This girl certainly has a playfulness about her, which he finds appealing.

"I was talking about, how did you know I'm a doctor?"

"Well, that's an interesting outfit you have there."

Chase looks down at his attire. "Crap." He was so preoccupied with his CV's, that he put his leather jacket on over his lab coat, and still had his stethoscope around his neck.

Chase immediately takes off his leather jacket, to get off his lab coat. He had no doubt that he looked ridiculous exiting the hospital like that.

"Rough day?" she asks.

"No. Just had lots of stuff on my mind."

"It happens. Let me help." She takes his lab coat, satchel, and CV's out of his hands, when she sees that he's struggling to put on his jacket.

"Thanks," he says quietly. He looks at her inquisitively.

"What your name?"

"I save your life, and you wait until now to ask me my name?"

"Well…," He looks at her smile. He could tell that she is pulling his leg again. "Let's just say the shock has finally worn off." He takes his stuff, haughtily from her.

She giggles. "Rebecca." She holds out her hand.

"Robert." They give each other a firm hand shake.

A black Explorer pulls up to the curb.

"That's my ride." She picks up her purse and a portfolio folder off the ground.

"Don't forget to look both ways before crossing the street, Robert," Rebecca says as she gets in the passenger side.

"Yeah, thanks. I owe you one."

"I'll hold you to that. Until we meet again." She flashes him one last smile and closes the door.

Chase grins as he watches the Explorer drive away.

He feels his feet getting wet. He looks down to see that the sprinklers have sprang to life and are soaking the rest of the CV's on the pavement. He groans as he picks up the edge of the wet orange paper by the corner.

* * *

Thanks for reading my first fan fic! Please R&R, I really want constructive criticism even if they are flames.

Just curious. In fandom what does OOC and IMHO mean?


	4. Throwing Paper pt1

**Don't own House/ David Shore characters.**

* * *

**Throwing Paper**

**part1**

A crumpled orange ball of paper flies through the air, hits the wall, and drops down to the floor next to a silver cylinder.

Chase picks up another paper. He looks at the paper. The orange and water stains have made the only the name readable.

_Howard Orenstein. Poor bloke._

Chase crumples up the CV and throws it towards the garbage can. The paper falls just short and joins the six other crumpled orange papers on the ground. Whether it be fate or dumb luck, all those CV's had one thing in common. They were so soaked by orange juice and sprinkler water, that the writing had become illegible.

_Only seventy six more CV's to go. _

"Air ball!"

Chase groans. He didn't need to look to see who was behind him.

"Pouring coffee on your CV's is no way to eliminate candidates," House says as he picks up a CV from the pile. "Asking me is. This one's no good!" He takes the resume rips it in half, crumples it up and throws it into the trash.

"Swoosh!" House cheers, throwing his hands up into the air.

"Hey! I could actually read that one!" Chase protests.

The door slams open. Turner, Lesley, and what's left of the candidates enter the room.

"Labs are normal, but the patient still has a one hundred and six temperature," says Lesley

Chase notices that the candidates are all whispering and elbowing each other in his direction. He checks his lab coat to see if he has some hideous stain on it.

House rolls his eyes. "Don't any of you try to slip your CV into his pile!" The prospects snap to attention. "I sign the checks. If I see any of scampering after blondie, you're out!"

House grabs all of Chase's CV's, and tosses them out the door, and into the hallway. Everyone looks at him wide-eyed in stunned silence.

"Get your own office to hire staff. Don't come back here with anymore CV's if you don't want me picking for you."

"Are you detoxing?" Chase asks dumbfounded.

* * *

Chase hid in the last place he knew House would be, the clinic. He spread out all the CV's over a examine table, dividing them into piles. He sits on the bed, feet dangling over the side as he looks one over 

_Zhang Tran_

_Specialty: Cardiology_

_University of Illinois. Graduated 1998_

He shakes his head as his mind wanders. Why does he even bother being surprised anymore by House's actions? Though, throwing his CV's out into the hall way seemed a bit extreme, even for House.

_What was up with that? _He wonders what House game is playing, or if he was just grumpy. Other than calling him names, House had relatively ignored Chase since his return to diagnostics. House has a reason for everything, even if the only reason is for his own amusement.

Chase sighs. Just when he thinks he is starting to understand House's intentions, he pulls something that makes Chase think he's nothing more than a mean old Scrooge.

_Accomplishments_

_Third degree black belt in Jujitsu_

"That could help with dealing with House," muses Chase.

The door swings open. Cuddy enters the room.

"This is one of our clinic rooms…Dr. Chase. I didn't know this room was being used."

Chase quickly jumps off the bed. "I was… looking for a quiet place to…"

"This is one of our new clinic doctors, Dr. Valera- Casey. She just started today."

The last person Chase expects to see wearing a lab coat enters the room.

"_You're_ a doctor?"

Rebecca raises her eyebrows, and gives him an amused smile.

"Medical degree and all."

"You two know each other?" Cuddy asks, surprised.

"Old friends."

"Really? How?"

Before either of them can answer, Nurse Brenda appears at the door frame. "Dr. Cuddy, your needed in intensive care immediately."

"I'll be there in a minute," Cuddy says, waving her off, her curiosity overcoming her professionalism at the moment.

"It's Dr. House. The family of his patient is threatening to sue, if he does an experimental procedure on the patient."

Cuddy let out a sigh. She turns to Rebecca.

"Thank you, Dr. Cuddy for showing me around, perhaps Dr…Chase, would like to take over?"

Cuddy forgetting that Chase is using a clinic room to hide, quickly exits to deal with House's latest crisis.

"So you come here often?"

"Not when I can help it," Chase replies. They giggle. "I'm surprised to see you again."

"More surprised, than finding out I'm old enough to be a doctor?"

Chase blushes with embarrassment. He's gotten that same reaction, more times then he'd like. Whenever someone commented on how young he looks, he always thought that they were questioning his qualifications.

"No. Obviously, you're wise beyond your years."

Rebecca chuckles, "Good answer. So…" Rebecca looks around. "How about you show me the cafeteria?"

* * *

Chase watches as Rebecca takes a huge bite out of a sloppy joe, and promptly spits it out. 

"Ew gross! That's worst than Oakland General!"

Chase grins, "I tried to warn you."

"Proven technique. In order to see how bad the hospital food is, you get the nastiest thing on the menu and try it out."

"I thought the yellow chicken gravy looked worst."

"I'm not suicidal." Rebecca takes a swig of water and gargles her mouth before swallowing it. "Looks like I'm brown bagging my lunch from now on."

"Or you could just stay away from the daily special." They both laugh. "So is that where you're from, Oakland?"

"No that's where I did my internship," Rebecca replies. "After that, I worked in the ER at UC San Francisco."

"Why didn't you get a job in the ER?"

Rebecca looks down at her food, for the first time in their conversation. "I wanted a job with steadier hours, you know no nights, no weekends." She flashes Chase a disarming smile, but he sense there is more to her story than wanting a regular nine to five job.

"You should ask for your own office," Rebecca says, casually.

"What. Why?" Chase asks, surprised at the suggestion. Clearly she wants to divert the conversation.

"I think you need it. I wouldn't want to share my office with someone who throws my important documents out the window."

"He threw it out in the hallway." Chase says defensively.

"Like that's better?"

Chase contemplates what she said.

"Having some privacy would be nice, but Cuddy would never go for it."

"Why not? You never know what you can get out of life, if you don't ask."

Chase shrugs.

Rebecca rolls her eyes. "Come on. What's the worst she say. 'No, go do your differentials in the janitor's closet?'"

Chase burst out laughing.

"What?" Rebecca gives him a confused look.

"Nothing." Chase sees Foreman "What's he still doing here?"

"Dr. Forman? I met him. He's the new head of the clinic."

Chase spits out his drink all over the table.

"Hey!" Rebecca takes a napkin and wipes off her wet hands. "I think you're CV's have been through enough."

**tbc**

* * *

My first fan fic. Please r&r! All criticisms appreciated. 

Question: What do you guys think of the title. I've got to say, I'm not really feeling it anymore?


	5. Throwing Paper pt2

**Author's note:** Hi everyone! I split the chapter into two parts, because I thought I was going to get busy and wouldn't have a chance to update. Lucky for you, this is sooner than expected.

Also chapter title change that I think is more appropriate.

Don't own House.

* * *

Throwing Paper 

Part 2

"Ah!" Cameron exclaims, bracing herself for impact. However, the petite brunette exiting the cafeteria side steps pass Cameron to avoid collision with her.

"Excuse me," she says as makes her way down the hall.

Cameron watches her wipe a wet stain on her shirt with napkins. Cameron turns around.

"Oaf!" She shrieks, as she slams into Chase.

"Sorry, Allison." Chase gives her a quick peck on the cheek, before he hustles down the hall.

"Where are you going?"

He turns and yells, "To find Cuddy!"

"What about lunch?"

"Already ate!" Cameron furrows her brow in curiosity as she watches Chase hurry past the brunette.

"Good luck!" she calls after him, before disappearing into the restroom.

Cameron frowns. _Who's she? _

* * *

"Dr. Chase, I have a board meeting," Cuddy protests, as Chase stands in front of the door to the conference room.

"It doesn't start for another two minutes," Chase said looking at his watch. Wilson and the other doctors watch with interest, through the glass wall, as the blonde doctor prevents the Dean of Medicine from entering the meeting.

"I'm already giving House a reprimand for his behavior. The orderly, that got hit with your CV's already filed a complaint." Cuddy steps forward, but Chase doesn't back down.

"This is not about that," Chase insists. "Why did you hire me?"

"Because you were the right person for the job," Cuddy sighs, but Chase has the feeling that she is trying to placate him.

"And… you want someone to who will take the cases that House doesn't want. We both know that Dr. House doesn't like to share anything, especially when he has case. How professional is the department going to seem when the second team is constantly getting thrown out of the office? It's not the best thing if you want to add more prestige to the program, and it could negatively affect patient care."

"Do you have a list of candidates that you're going to interview?" Cuddy asks.

Chase panics for a second, but quickly hides it. "Yes."

"You're not lying?" Cuddy peers at him.

"I can't lie to you." Chase gives her a smile.

Cuddy considers what he said. "Alright. But you're the low man on the totem pool. There isn't a lot of office space available."

"Whatever you can spare." Chase moves to the side, and allows Cuddy to enter the board room.

"What was that about?" whispers Wilson as Cuddy takes a seat at the head of the table. She watches Chase carefully through the glass.

Cuddy smirks in realization. Did Chase just play to her inclinations to get his own office? That was the most the two had ever spoken in four years, and she never got the sense that he could manipulate her before.

She shakes her head. It looks like she got more than she bargained for when she hired Dr. Robert Chase for the second diagnostic team. Something she didn't need. She needs to curve him, before he thinks that he can get away with everything, like House does.

* * *

Well, the chapter is actually shorter than I had originally intended, but I think it ends on a dramatic note.

* * *

**Please r&r the more reviews I get the more inclined I'd be to update sooner.**


	6. The Office

Author's note: Sorry short but fun chapter. Doesn't really further the plot but it was just too fun to write. Hope you like it. Promise, next chapter with more substantial info coming soon!

Don't own House/ David Shore characters. All else are mine.

* * *

The Office

Chase feet start to feel like sand. He feels as if he has been walking for days, as he wanders the hall trying to find housekeeping.

_I shouldn't have brought my box with me. _His shoulders are starting to ache. He hadn't realized how far the housekeeping office is. He had to trek across the courtyard and down another wing of the hospital to get here.

_I wonder why Cuddy wants me to pick up my key here?_ Chase asks as he finally reaches his destination.

Chase turns the door knob, but it's locked, so he knocks on the door.

"Crap." "Where's the air freshener?" "Put it out!" Chase hears several voices and people falling over inside.

A scrawny, twenty year old janitor creaks the door open.

"Can I help you?" He asks. Chase wrinkles his nose as he inhales the overwhelming smell of marijuana, cigarettes, bleach, and apple cinnamon air freshener. He notes the guilty face the kid has on his face.

"I'm Dr. Chase. I'm suppose to pick up a key to my office here."

"One moment." The kid quickly slams the door in Chase's face.

Chase waits a couple of minutes, before an old man with a hump exits the room. Chase sees several younger male janitors in front of a TV watching _General Hospital_. He catches some of them looking over their shoulders, obviously eager for him to leave. The old man, closes the office door and locks it.

"Come with me, your office is down stairs."

"Of this wing?" Chase asks incredulously.

"Is that a problem?"

"Well…"

"I just take you to where you're assigned." The man says gruffly and walks off, Chase follows.

* * *

The old janitor tries to find the key to Chase's office as he waits in the sea foam green colored hallway. Chase looks up as the harsh fluorescent light flickers above him. He notes that he can see the pipes running across the ceiling.

Chase takes note of his surroundings. This wing of the hospital hadn't been remodeled in decades, so it lacked the pristine glass that surrounded the other wings. The hallway is narrower than most hospital hallways, and thus more claustrophobic. Chase guesses that the accounting, records, and geriatrics departments aren't a priority for Dr. Cuddy.

Chase can't believe his luck, that this is the only office available. It's at least half a mile from intensive care, the labs, diagnostics, and the physician parking lot.

"You know," the old janitor says as he goes through the many keys on his key ring as he tries to find one that will open Chase's door. "This use to be the psych ward before the fire in 1972. Six patients and their shrink died in it."

Suddenly, the air conditioner comes on and the hallway goes very cold.

"Damn thermostat," the janitor grumbles. A low moaning sound echoes through the hall.

"What's that?" Chase asks.

"Just the ventilation, you'll get use to it. You think if Cuddy could afford Playstations' for the cancer kids, she could afford to have someone fix the A/C in geriatrics. Old people have low immune systems."

The janitor unlocks Chase's door and hands him the key. "Welcome to the Shelley Wing."

"Is that the doctor who died in the fire?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I figured." Chase says dryly.

"He used to lobotomize his patients." Chase eyes go wide and shivers. Chase looks up as the lights flicker again, and the moaning becomes louder. He looks in the direction, the janitor went, and sees that he had disappeared.

_Great, _Chase thinks. _Not only is my office far, but it's haunted._

* * *

Chase places his cardboard box on his desk and looks around his new office. It is a small, bleak, ten by ten square, with one small window eight feet above him, that has a grate over it. The brick walls are painted the same mental institute color as the hall outside,and the floor is just a cold cement slab.

He hears a hissing sound and looks above him to see that the vents and insulation exposed above him. He shivers and lets out a breath. The warm air he lets out causes condensation.

"Great I'm going to get a cold in my own office," Chase mutters to himself.

Cuddy put in an old steel desk, a desk lamp, and an olive green rolling chair, all of which it looks like it was from the 1950's.

Chase takes out his lap top from his satchel and turns it on. He takes out his calendar, pens, pencils, and pencil holder and starts arranging it neatly on the table. Chase is happy that he remembered to raid the clinic office supply closet before coming here. The only things that were his in House's office were his coffee cup and crossword puzzle book. He wishes that he had thought to snatch the Kleenex box as well, as his nose is starting to get runny in the cold room.

Chase takes a look at the screen and sees that there is no reception for his wireless.

_Crap. _

He takes out his cell phone and sees that there is only one bar indicating service.

Chase sinks into the chair. _Great now I have to negotiate with Cuddy to put a modem and telephone in here. She'll probably give me two soup cans and a string and tell me to make due. _

Suddenly, he feels himself dropping. His chair had unlocked causing him to drop several inches.

Chase puts his hand in his head. What else is wrong with this place?

Moaning fills the room.

Chase pops his head above the desks to see an emaciated old man, in an white patient's gown at his door frame. His eyes were gray and cloudy, and his skin is ghastly pale. His boney fingers point at Chase.

Chase freezes too frighten to move.

"Cursed! Cursed!" he says in a low grizzled voice.

Chase breaths in and out, the condensation around his mouth becoming more apparent.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

He look down at his beeper. He exhales deeply. _At least, that still works down here._

He looks back up to see that the old man had disappeared. He stands up and looks at the number on his beeper. He groans. The source is worst than a ghost. It is Greg House.

* * *

Trivia question!

What literary reference does the Shelley Wing come from?

Special prize to all those who get answer right and r&r!

* * *

Please r&r. I accept all constructive criticism, even flames!


	7. Expectations

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long delay. Real life + wanting to do too many things in one chapter + writers block. I've re- did the outline, so hopefully that won't happen again.

Lucky for you I've posted two chapters! Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Don't own House characters that appear on TV. All other characters are mine!

* * *

Expectations

Chase rushes into House's office. House and Wilson look up from their lunch, and give him an amused look. Chase with his hair tussled, and beads of sweat are falling from his forehead is quite a sight.

"Where'd you come from, the pool in the physical therapy building?" House snarks.

"Farther, the Shelley Wing," Chase answers. He bends over, and places his hands on his knees, taking deep breaths to supply more air into his lungs. "What's the emergency?"

House peers darkly at Chase, who's in haling too deeply to notice. "What were you doing in the Shelley Wing?"

"Setting up my office. Is there a problem your patient?"

"Cuddy put you in the Storage Wing?" asks a surprised Wilson. "Why? There are…Ouch!" House kicks Wilson from under his desk.

"So it's true. My little duckling decided to fly the coop."

"House what's up?" Chase coughs.

"Cuddy wants the list of candidates you're going to interview on her desk tomorrow morning by nine a.m."

"You 9-1-1 me for that?"

House tosses a medical file at Chase. "That and you have a case. Some donor with a rash in unmentionable places, he wanted someone from diagnostics to take a look at it."

"Why don't you get your fellows, to do it? You still have seven of them."

"They've got more important things to do."

"Like what?"

Wilson grins at Chase. Apparently, physical exertion made Chase more impudent.

"My clinic hours," House snarls.

Chase rolls his eyes. "I forgot my stethoscope," he mutters as he exits the room.

"I wonder what Chase did to Cuddy to put him in the Storage wing?" asks Wilson.

House sits back in his chair contemplating for a moment. He stands, and grabs Wilson's chips as he exits.

"Buy me a soda."

Wilson follows House out the door. "She didn't seem pissed when she walked into the board meeting last week…I know there's a couple of empty research offices free on the sixth floor of this wing."

Wilson runs into House's back, not noticing that he stopped.

House looks through the glass at a mousy doctor with long wavy hair, as she goes to hug a patient she obviously gave bad news too. Dr. Knowles is the Head of Gynecology Research and works a lot from her office. The only reason why she isn't in the research wing, or the gynecology floor, is because those offices are too small for her. She's a flighty sort of person, who has already complained about the noise coming from his office three times.

She sees House staring at her and waves her hands, behind the patient's back, for him to get out of there.

"I think we can do better than that," House says. Wilson sees House mouth twist into an evil smirk as he walks away from the Dr. Knowles office.

* * *

Chase hears yelling coming from his patient's room as he approaches it.

He opens the door. "Mr. Hollander?"

Chase finds his patient, a balding sixty- two year old man with a large girth, yelling on his phone, while a leggy redhead half his age sits sultrily on the patient table.

"My wife and I were in the hot tub the other night," the red head rolls her eyes at the phrase, "and we were assailed by mosquitoes! Three hundred grand to build add an extension to the house! Like I give a rats ass about code! Build it cheaper! Forget it! I just won't use the tub at night! "

"But honey, if you make it an indoor tub, than we can enjoy it as well."

"I'm not letting you touch me again!"

"I'm telling you, I'm clean! I got tested two months ago."

"Obviously, you caught something in between then!"

The woman looks like she's about to cry.

The man returns to his phone call. "Fifty grand to build a cabana with mosquito netting around it sounds more reasonable. Five weeks!" The man hangs up his phone. "Contractors, they take forever, then rob you blind." He looks at the young man that just entered the room. "You're not Dr. House.

"Dr. House has another case. I'm Dr. Chase, I lead the second diagnostic team." _No need to let him know there isn't a team yet. _Chase thought. "What can I do for you today?" He holds out his hand and gives him a nervous smile.

Mr. Hollander begrudgingly takes it. "She gave me herpes."

Chase looks down at his hand immediately regretting offering it to the man.

"I didn't…" the redhead protests.

"Save it you two- timing skank!"

"I'm loyal! Unlike some people!"

"You little hussy…"

Chase intercedes, doing something that he hardly ever does, and raises his voice, "Mrs. Hollander, why don't you have a seat outside, while I examine your husband."

"Call me, Beverly, and I'm not his wife."

"Oh." _Of course she isn't._ Chase goes to the sink and washes his hands. Keeping his best neutral expression on his face.

"Well I trust that a donation of ten thousand dollars to your team, is enough for your complete discretion."

"I'm a doctor, sir. Everything you say to me is confidential."

"I want you to test her, too." He points to Beverly who pouts.

Chase nods. "How about we do an examination first? Sir, how long have you…"

Before Chase can finish his sentence, Mr. Hollander immediately drops trough, letting his pants and underwear fall to his ankles.

Chase raises his eyebrows. He bends down for a closer look at the rash that covers Mr. Hollanders groin area and legs.

"What's that?" Chase blurts out.

* * *

Chase looks down at the results of the STD tests, as he walks down the pristine glass, non- haunted halls of the PPTH.

_Genital Herpes- negative_

_Gonorrhea- negative_

_Chlamydia- negative_

_Syphilis- negative_

_White cell count- normal_

Chase's scratches his head grins as looks over the test results again. _House is certainly going to be disappointed he passed this one up. _Obviously, House gave him the case, thinking that this is a simple STD, and to appease the donor by having someone from diagnostics look after him. However upon examination, rash and lesions on the patients groin, buttocks and legs, didn't look like any form of herpes he's ever seen.

_House didn't expect more. _Again the question pops into his mind that has been haunting him all month. _Why did Cuddy hire me?_ Ever since, he's been racked with the same thoughts of self- doubt that he hasn't felt since before he solved a case while House was in Singapore, last year.

Chase walks into the doctors lounge. Someone is already there watching a detective show. Chase considers leaving, but his new office is too far, too cold, and too haunted. House had forbidden him from entering the conference room, saying that since Chase has his own place, him being in the conference room would establish his need for House. Thus House, gets to pick his team.

Chase takes a seat at the table, wiping off the bread crumbs the doctors left for making peanut better and jelly sandwiches.

"Robert?"

Chase looks over to the sofa. "Oh, hi."

Rebecca smiles at him from her seat.

"What are you doing here? The nurses have been crying all day, about how the cute Aussie doctor has been exiled to something called the Storage Wing."

"The Shelly Wing," Chase sighs and looks back down at his test results.

"Huh?"

"I'm in the Shelly Wing. Storage Wing is just a nickname."

"Why do they call it the Storage Wing? Is it just one big janitor's closet?"

"No, it's the wing were things get put aside and forgotten about," Chase says dryly.

Rebecca looks at him with concern. He doesn't look up when she turns off the TV and walks over to the table.

"A nurse from oncology said that Dr. House got jealous of you, and had Cuddy send you to the Bermuda triangle of the hospital in hopes that you'd never come back," she says teasingly, testing his reaction.

Chase sighs, "Why would House be jealous of me?"

Rebecca shrugs. "I don't know. Because you're higher on the doable list."

Chase keeps his head down. "Doable list?"

"You know the who I'd _do_ list, Dr. House is ranked a surprising seventh. For all the bitching the nurses do about how he treats them, there's certainly a lot that are curious."

Chase simply nods, causing Rebecca to pout.

"Want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Something's wrong. Surely, a hospital doable ranking is cause for speculation and mockery, or at least some kind of reaction." Chase finally looks up. She gives him a soft smile. "If you don't want to talk about it that's okay, too."

Something in him tells him to go on the defensive. "Why do you care?" Chase asks, sounding harsher than he intended.

Rebecca is taken back. "Because we're…Sorry my mistake."

A nurse comes into the room. "Dr. Valera, they need you in the ER now."

"Why are you working the ER? Don't you only work in the clinic?"

Rebecca turns around and glares daggers at him, "Why do you care?" and walks out of the room.

* * *

Chase looks up from his pile of CV's distractedly. He shivers as the air in his office starts to blow harder.

Chase returned to his office after getting blood work, and cultures from his patient and gave them to a late night lab tech. Neither is going to be ready until morning, so he thought that he can finally go through his CV's and get that list to Cuddy by morning. Chase stopped by the gift shop on his way back to his office. He bought a navy blue Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital sweatshirt, scarf, and ear mufflers, yet he is still freezing.

His thoughts drift to Rebecca. He feels guilty about his aloofness with her in the doctor's lounge, though he's not completely sure why. Maybe it was an immature reaction to the new office, coupled with a puzzling case, and Cuddy's list deadline. He doesn't really blame her for any of that, even though it was her suggestion. It isn't her fault that Cuddy was probably pissed at House for something when she assigned him the office.

Most likely, Chase found himself a little off balanced by her forwardness. He's known her a little over a week, and already she is weirdly attached to his business. Even Cameron took a couple of months when she first got here, before she tried to pry herself into House's life.

House gave both Cameron and Foreman all the ammunition they needed to get an impression of Chase to use it against him, even if it was mostly based on false assumptions. For years, neither thought to look past that. They, like most people thought what they wanted to think about him. He doesn't do anything to change their minds. Why try if they aren't going to. People make certain assumptions about him, that he's lazy, that he is a brownnoser, that he lacks a backbone. That he is good looking, but didn't have that much to offer upstairs, the he is rich had a cushy life.

Somehow, Rebecca is different. They can't know that much about each other. Not from, making small talk in clinic, and sharing one lunch in the cafeteria. Yet, there is a difference between her and most people. Most people are just polite and cordial towards him. Rebecca seems genuinely interested in him and what he has to say, or not say. More than once, she forced him to give an opinion. Chase realizes, what makes her different. She expects something entirely different from him. What? He's not sure.

The sound of squeaking drawing near, disrupts Chase's thoughts. Chase looks out past his open door into the hallway. The scrawny twenty year old janitor walks by, pushing his cleaning cart along. He nods to Chase as he passes by, continuing to sway to whatever music is playing on his ipod. Chase lets out a breath that he had been unconsciously holding.

* * *

Chase approaches the nurses station in the ER.

A pippy, strawberry blonde nurse greets him, enthusiastically, "Hi, Dr. Chase! Fancy seeing you here! How's the new office treating you?"

Chase smiles back, uncertainly. It must be a slow gossip day that the only thing people have to talk about his is cruddy new office. "Where are all the doctors tonight?"

"Oh its been super quiet. All the doctors went to go find a place to sleep," she replies bouncily. "Are you looking for someone in particular? Dr. Cameron isn't here tonight."

"No, I'm looking for someone else."

"Oh," the nurse tilts her head to the side and looks at him curiously. "I could page him, but they all said not to wake them unless there's a tornado warning, or Dr. Cuddy comes in."

"No, I'll find her myself." Chase turns around before he can see the nurses eyebrow raise.

Chase finds one attending sleeping behind the curtain in a patient's bed. He finds one intern laid out on the waiting room chairs, and another sleeping on the bench in the locker room. _ER docs certainly knew how to sleep where ever there isn't a bed. _Then he walks in on two med students in the on call room giving each other physicals. So not all the doctor's are asleep, apparently.

Chase is about to give up looking for her in the ER when he hears a familiar voice behind the curtain giving someone a neuro examine.

He opens the curtain to reveal Rebecca talking to a middle age man with a large gash on his forehead. The man's hands are cuffed to the bed and a police officer overseeing treatment.

"Follow my finger," Rebecca says to the patient. The patient does as he is told. "His CT scan is clean and he doesn't seem to have any concussions. We'll keep him here overnight for observation, than you can take him in.

"No! No!" the patient protests. "My head really, really hurts."

Rebecca rolls her eyes. "That's your brain punishing you for wearing ten thousand dollar night vision goggles on a robbery job that wouldn't have paid more than five hundred."

The police officer points out Chase standing behind Rebecca.

Rebecca turns around. "Funny, I thought I paged neurology, not psych." Rebecca writes a note on the chart, and walks away leaving a amused police officer and patient.

Chase follows her into the waiting room, where she takes a seat beside the other sleeping physician.

"Shh." She tells him, as she opens a book and puts on her ipod.

Chase sighs. He gets up and starts to walk away.

_This is dumb. Why do I even care whether or not she likes me?_ Then Chase realizes, she's the first person in a long time that wants to get to know him, without any preconceived notions about who he is.

Chase rushes back and sits right across from her and the sleeping intern. Rebecca looks up from her book, inquisitive about what he has to say.

Chase whispers, "I'm sorry for being testy. I was just stressed with this case and deadline and my office is cold and… scary…" Chase sees Rebecca roll her eyes, obviously she doesn't buy his explanation.

Chase remembers her reaction to him asking, why she cares. It was one of hurt and disappointment. _She thought they were friends. _

"I just…never mind." Rebecca looks up again. Chase starts to stand up. He gives up. She won't understand.

"Oh no. You are so going to finish that sentence." Rebecca looks at him challengingly.

"Why?"

"Because that one's the truth."

Chase looks down at his shoes. "Making friends so quickly." Chase looks up again. Rebecca face softens.

"I'm sorry too. I tend to overstep."

They smile understandingly at each other. They hear a groan next to them.

Two eyes pop open. "Do you have to talk here? Some of us have been working a twenty- four hour shift." He turns over and tries to go back to sleep.

Rebecca smiles at Chase, "So what makes your office scary?


	8. Figuring it Out

Figuring it Out

Chase leads Rebecca down the lowly lit florescent halls of the Shelly Wing.

"Wow this hall really reminds me of the ones in scary movies. You know when the serial killer is chasing the girl."

Chase nods. That's a perfect way to describe the hallway.

"What are you doing here so late?" He asks.

"Cuddy called me in to cover the graveyard shift in the ER. One of the attending's called in sick."

"Dr. Cameron."

"I didn't catch her name. How do you know?"

"She's my girlfriend."

Rebecca shivers, and rubs her arms. "I heard about her. So you'd know whether or not she's faking it?" She turns around and gives him a mischievous smile.

"Yeah. Food poisoning."

"So, she is faking." She winks at him.

Chase chuckles, "No, I spent the whole night holding her hair back as she puked into the toilet bowl."

"Aw. That's sweet. She feeling better?"

"Yeah. I told her to call in sick, so that she can rest."

"Well, I thank you for that," Rebecca responds sarcastically, but Chase could tell that she didn't really mind working late.

Chase hears moaning.

"Do you hear that?"

"Yeah. Sounds like old pipes."

"Sure." Chase looks around nervously.

Rebecca gives him a weird look. "Maybe you just have an over active imagination."

Chase dryly, "You have no idea."

* * *

"You should have told me to bring my jacket with me," Rebecca says, as she shivers next to Chase's desk.

"Want to borrow my scarf?"

"Please." Chase tosses the scarf around his neck to her.

Chase and Rebecca sit before a poster Chase tacked up on the wall of the patients symptoms with crossed out diagnosis. Chase had made the poster from pieces of computer paper and taped them together. He sits on the desk, while Rebecca sits on an aluminum folding chair.

Rebecca grabs the mistress' medical folder. "The other woman is negative as well? No rashes?"

"He insist that the mistress is the only woman he's sleeping with."

"And you trust the man who's cheating on his wife?" she asks incredulously.

"Normally I wouldn't, but the man is pretty bold. I have the feeling that if there was someone else, he would be dragging her in here to have her tested as well, and offering me twenty thousand to keep that girl quiet from both the other mistress and the wife."

Rebecca chuckles. "Where'd you dig up this guy a soap opera? Eliminating STD's, is half the battle. There are a number of other diseases that get misinterpreted as genital herpes. Lichen sclerosis?"

"He has pustules and genital ulcers. Not just rashes and chaffing." Chase reaches behind him to pick up a cup of coffee. He accidentally knocks over several folders off the desk. "Do you think Cuddy will let me get a coffee machine in here?"

"Probably not. What's wrong, didn't like getting your cheeks pinched when you went to scam coffee from the Geriatrics Ward?"

"It's not those cheeks I'm worried about," Chase says causing Rebecca to giggle.

"What about an allergies?"

"I did an allergy test on him, it didn't show any allergies, other than the ones he already has."

"So, bacteria is the best candidate?"

Chase nods his head. He goes around the desk to pick up the CV folders that have become the bane of his existence.

"You don't want to treat him anyways? I hear House treats, than confirms."

"I would, but his condition doesn't seem life threatening. Just an annoyance. I would rather confirm then treat, unless his condition worsens drastically. It looks more like an allergy, but if it's a bacteria, than cortical steroids could make the rash worst."

"Assuming the mistress has nothing to do with his condition, and it is bacteria, it could be an environmental source. Maybe there's something in the house?"

"The mistress says she's been all over the house."

"Oh." Rebecca grimaces.

"Normally, I'd break in, but he mentioned something about his wife having a party tonight." Chase takes a seat in his chair, making sure to lean forward to avoid having the chair collapse.

"Cuddy condones that behavior."

"Condones is a strong word, more like…"

"She just doesn't want the hospital associated with illegal activities."

"Yeah something like that."

"My brother's a cop. I'll give you his card, in case you ever get caught."

"Like the patient with the concussion in the ER?"

"Yeah. The man got blinded when he activated the flood lights, then walked into an empty swimming pool."

"Swimming pool?"

"Yeah, how pathetic is that?"

A light bulb goes off in Chase's head. A smirk crosses his mouth. "Hot tub!"

"Hot tub?" Rebecca notices his change of expression. "Did I miss something?"

"I know what's wr…" He leans back into his chair. It unlocks, causing him to fall to the floor.

Rebecca looks over to the other side of the desk. "Are you okay?"

Chase lies on the cold floor, and smiles.

* * *

"Well that was a random diagnosis." Rebecca greets Chase as he exits Mr. Hollander's room. "Impressive, but random."

"All the symptoms fit." Chase smiles very pleased with himself.

"They do. So did Mr. Hollander appreciate being waken up at two in the morning to have you rub antiseptic on his special place?" she says teasingly.

Chase glares at her. "Not as much as he appreciated being able to sue his contractor."

Rebecca shakes her head. "Litigators. Better hope that the tests confirm your diagnosis then. He'll probably sue you if it turns out to be an allergy."

"It won't. I hope."

Chase and Rebecca walk to the end of the hall and turn in opposite directions.

Chase notices first. "Where are you going?"

"I've got to do another neuro check on the World's Dumbest Robber. What you afraid to go back to your office by yourself?"

"No," Chase says indignantly. "Cuddy's deadline is scarier than the office."

Rebecca gives him a sympathetic smile. "Divide them by specialties."

"What?"

"The CV's. It'll be less overwhelming and you don't want three intensivist on your team do you?"

Chase nods, that's a good idea. "What should I do after that?"

Rebecca shrugs. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Chase starts to walk away.

"Oh, remember, you don't have to be nice in choosing people to interview. They're just resumes." She gives him an encouraging smile and walks to the ER.

* * *

Chase stares down the pile of CV's on his desk. He let's out a breath.

_I will not be intimidated by sheets of paper. _

Moaning from the vents become loader. Chase looks up.

_Or freaky hallucinations. They're hallucinations right?_

Chase rolls his evil green chair away, and places the folding chair at the head of the desk. He puts on his sweatshirt and earmuffs before he sits down. He looks around for his scarf.

_Damn. Rebecca must have taken it with her. _

He shivers a little in the cold metal chair, as he grabs the first folder.

_Lionel Massy_

_Specialty: Plastic Surgery. _

Chase finds it weird that a plastic surgeon would want a diagnostic fellowship. He looks at his credentials and sees that they aren't very impressive. He drops it in the waste basket. That didn't feel too bad, in fact it felt a little empowering.

Chase sets to work on the rest of the CV's dividing them by specialty. Some automatically got thrown in the trash, like med- students, psychologists, and other intensivist.

Less than an hour later Chase had twenty less CV's to look at.

Now that they were divided into specialties, Chase found his task decidedly less overwhelming. He goes through the different piles and begins ranking them from highest to lowest on how accomplished the person is in their own expertise. He looks at recommendation letters and employer evaluation forms, and throws out the ones that are just marginal, or competent.

* * *

It is now five o'clock in the morning. Chase yawns. He now has thirty- eight resumes. Thirty- eight interviews seem like a bit much. Chase looks up at the wall and sees his diagnostic poster board.

Chase takes out more sheets of paper and tapes them together. He takes out a permanent marker and writes down the doctor's name, their specialty, and any significant information or accomplishment that stood out on the resume.

"Cursed! Cursed!"

Chase stops writing. The pen he's using starts to bleed into the paper, where his hand freezes. The blood drains from his face.

He turns around to see the same ghostly, old man pointing at him from the doorway.

They stare at each other for a few moments. Chase is petrified in his place.

The old man turns around. His hospital gown open, exposing his bare back and butt. He walks away.

Chase gets shocked back to reality.

_A ghost with an open hospital gown. That's different? _

Chase goes out into the hall to see the old man's naked behind moving away from him.

"Sir, Sir!" Chase jobs a little to catch up with the man.

Chase steps in front of the man, and gently places a hand on his shoulder. _He certainly feels real. _

"Sir, are you alright?"

The old man looks up at Chase. His cloudy gray eyes seem to clear for a second, and a glint of recognition crosses his face.

"Freddy!" the old man exclaims. He puts his boney arms around Chase waist and pulls him into a hug.

* * *

Chase escorts the old man down the corridor toward Geriatrics. Two young orderlies come running towards them.

"Thanks man! We've been looking for him for over an hour." The young man grabs the patient's elbow.

"Mr. Scheck, all the nurses were worried about you." The other orderly flanks Mr. Scheck's other side to escort him down the hall."

"One hour? He was just down the hall." The old man coughs. Chase smells a distinct odor coming from the young orderlies. "Do you smoke a joint?"

The orderlies stop in their tracks, letting go of Mr. Scheck. They turn around and face Chase. Mr. Scheck continues to wonder down the hallway.

Chase looks into their eyes to see that their pupils are blown out. "Something could have happened to him, while you guys were busy getting high!" Chase admonishes them.

"Like what?"

"He could have fallen down the stairs, or caught an infection being out of bed like that. Look at him!" Pointing to the fact that Mr. Scheck's gown is still hanging open.

Both orderlies shrug. "Not like Cuddy's going to do anything about it. She hasn't stepped inside this wing in years."

"She won't but I will!" a gruff voice says.

Chase turns around to see the old hunch back janitor that showed him his office. The janitor shakes his fist at the orderlies. "It's bad enough that you're destroying your brain cells and your lungs and getting high on the job, but neglecting patients…"

Chase is amused at just how scared shitless two strapping young men seem to be afraid of an old man with a hump.

"Yes, Mr. Loomis. Won't happen again!" They start to back away from him.

"If I catch anymore tomfoolery and I'll have your testicles. Dismissed!" The orderlies start to scamper off.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Loomis barks at them. He points at Mr. Scheck. The orderlies go back to escorting him.

"Stupid kids." Loomis turns towards Chase. Chase turns his heel and quickly walks back the way he came. He figures if the two orderlies have something to fear from the janitor, than he should too.

"How's the office Dr. Chase?" Loomis asks.

Chase continues walking. "Fine. Thanks for your help."

"Well, don't let Cuddy get you down."

Chase stops in his tracks. "Huh?"

"She's trying to break you. Don't let her." The old man walks away.

Chase walks back to his office confused. _People in this hospital have way to much time on their hands._

* * *

Chase feels soft lips pressed against his forehead.

He opens his eyes to see Cameron hovering over him.

"Hi."

"Good morning." She takes a seat on his desk.

"What are you doing here?"

"I felt better this morning so I decided to take the clinic shift of the doctor who covered for me last night."

"That's nice of you. Sure you up to it?" Chase gets up from his seat and starts to stretch. He stops in front of his poster. Only sixteen names of the thirty- eight names aren't crossed off.

"Yeah." She notices that Chase was sleeping in a hard aluminum folding chair. "Why aren't you using the green chair?"

"It's evil. It keeps malfunctioning." Chase sees his scarf on the desk and picks it up. Underneath is a folder Chase hasn't seen before. Chase opens it and smiles. Cameron looks at him curiously.

"What's that?"

"Test results. What time is it? You want to go for breakfast?"

"No, It's almost nine, I'm going to be late for my shift. You know it took me half an hour to find your office."

Chase's eyes go wide. "Crap!"

Chase grabs all the CV's on the table, and rips the poster he made off the wall. In his rush out the door, a post- it note from the test results folder falls to the floor.

Cameron picks it up.

It says, "Congrats! Thanks for letting me borrow the scarf. R."

Cameron furrows her brows. _Who's R?_

* * *

Chase runs into Cuddy's office, huffing and puffing.

House and Cuddy are already in a heated argument.

"House I gave the case to you to take care of!" Cuddy yells. "And you!" Turning her wrath on Chase. "You're not suppose to work on cases until you hire a team."

"Please, it's barely a case," House protests. "The man came here with the scarlet mistress, and complained that he had bumps and rashes all over his unmentionables. A first year med student could have handled that."

"Chase isn't a med student," Cuddy counters.

"And it wasn't an STD." Chase interrupts.

House and Cuddy both look at Chase dumbstruck.

"Hot tub folliculitis. Contracted pseudomonas aeruginosa when the contractor didn't hot tub properly after installing it. Labs confirm, got him started on mupirocin, to get that cleared up sooner." Chase looks at House and Cuddy expectantly, but they say nothing.

He continues as if he's done nothing important. "Here's my list." He places the poster with the names scratched out on Cuddy's desk. "Sorry it's late. Here's the CV's for their contact information. The phone in my office still doesn't work"

"I'll take care of the phone right away." Cuddy says.

Chase stands there, awkwardly waiting for either House or Cuddy to do or say somethingthing. After a few moments he decides to walk out the door.

He turns around before he leaves. "Oh, I'm going to need a few days off clinic duty to do all the interviews… please."

Chase closes the door behind him.

House and Cuddy look at each other, than back to the door Chase just exited.

"Who's that?"

* * *

Author's note: medical info from you enjoyed! Please R&R! 

Can you guess the two pop culture references that pop up in this chapter?


	9. Questions

**Authors note:** Hi everyone! Sorry for the long delay between chapters. Last month was crazy. I was working two jobs and had barely time to sleep much less write.

Hope you enjoy this new chapter, I'm going to try and update in a more timely manner.

This chapter was inspired by the wonderful scene last season with an angry PB&J sandwich.

**Disclaimer:** Do not own House characters as they appear on FOX. All originals are mine.

* * *

Questions

Cuddy and House look at each other a little confused about what just happened.

"Did Chase just ask for less clinic hours?" Cuddy spits out. She shakes her head. His appointment had not gone at all what she thought it would.

She groans when she looks over Chase's poster of people to interview. "What's with all the names scratched out? I'm going to have to ask him to type this up."

House looks over the list and a sly grin creeps over his face.

"Can I get a copy of that?"

000---000

Wilson opens his door to find a sheepish looking Chase behind it.

"Hi." Wilson says surprised. "Can I help you?" In the four years he's known Chase, he's the only one of House's fellows who hasn't sought him out in an effort to figure out how to deal with House. He only really ever talks to Wilson on consults.

"I was wondering if you're offer still stands?" Chase drawls.

Wilson looks at him with confusion. "My offer?"

"To help me interview?"

"Oh!" Wilson is astonished. He didn't really think Chase would take him up on his offer.

"Can I come in?"

Wilson steps aside letting Chase enter his office. He stands in the middle of the room, feeling a little awkward about being there.

"I don't need you sitting in with me," Chase begins, "I just wanted you to know what questions you ask when you interview for staff."

Wilson takes a seat behind his desk. "Oh, well I usually start with, what interested you about the job, what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, why did you want to become a doctor…"

Wilson breezes through his list of common interview questions, as Chase just stands in the middle of the room looking at him blankly.

Wilson finishes. He notices the slightly disappointed look Chase is trying to hide.

"Right, well thanks for your time. I've got clinic duty." Chase goes to make a quick exit.

"I hoped I help."

"It's a start." Chase opens the door.

"My door is always open."

"Thanks," Chase shuts the door behind him.

Wilson stares at the door. The odd conversation had ended as suddenly as it had began.

000---0000

Chase lets out a sigh, feeling a little demoralized after his meeting with Wilson.

"I could have got those questions off google," Chase mutters to himself.

He rubs his temples, trying to soothe away the throbbing sensation in his head. He starts interviewing in a couple of days. The pressure of actually hiring a team is starting to become very real. There's no way he can avoid it now.

He makes his way into the ER which is brimming with patients. He sees Cameron tending to a young girl.

"Allison."

Cameron places her stethoscope on the girls chest. "Hi Chase. What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch?"

"We're pretty swamped right now."

"How about later?"

Two ambulances pull up. Cameron lets out a sigh. Her day just got busier.

"I don't think that's going to happen," she says flatly.

Cameron notices that Chase's troubled look.

"We could talk after work?"

Chase looks over across the hall, someone else catches his eye.

"Sure." Chase replies distractedly. Cameron watches as he rushes away suddenly, heading through the clinic doors.

Cameron pouts. Somehow, she hasn't been able to hold Chase's attention lately.

000---000

Chase approaches Rebecca at the nurses station where she is looking over a patient chart. Splattered all over her lab coat is vomit and bile.

"Hard day today?" Chase says as he approaches.

"Is it too much to asks to have one non- spitter?" Rebecca says dryly as she replaces one chart and picks up another one. She looks up at Chase a notes the pensive look on his face.

"So how are things with you?" she asks worriedly.

"You free for lunch?"

Rebecca looks at her watch. "I'm scheduled for a break…" They see someone in the waiting room fold puke all over the floor. "…right about now. Brenda, please tell Dr. Foreman I'm at lunch."

Rebecca and Chase head out of the clinic followed by the scandalized eyes of the nursing staff.

000---000

Wilson and House are in the lunch line when they see Chase sitting with a pretty brunette, alone in the corner.

"That's new," remarks House, as brushes by the cashier leaving Wilson to pay for his food.

"The lunch special?" Wilson replies dryly.

"No, Chase's new friend. I didn't know he could have any."

"Meaning?"

"Have you met Cameron?"

Wilson shrugs, and goes to eat his salad.

"He came to me this morning?"

"Who?"

"Chase. He wanted to know what questions to asks when he interviewed."

"Don't tell me you told him to ask, 'What's your greatest accomplishment?"

"So?'

"So? You think he came to you looking for questions that he could have found on the internet?" House shakes his head. He turns his attention towards Chase and his new friend.

"What should I have suggested? Asking if they prefer boxers or briefs?"

"That answer would have been more informative."

House grabs Wilson's juice and looks across the room.

000---000

Rebecca watches Chase push the hospital special, beef stroganoff, across his plate.

She takes a bite out of her sandwich. "As interesting this show is, I only get an hour break for lunch."

Chase looks up startled, "Huh?"

"You going to tell me what's up or should we go straight to water boarding?" Chase gives her a amused look. "I'm not a mind reader Robert. You obviously didn't invite me to lunch to because you worried they'd be out of that brown slug on your plate."

Chase let out a sigh. He isn't use to going to people when he needed to talk. Usually he just lets himself stew in his own thoughts. He honestly didn't know what possessed him to go out and seek Cameron, then Rebecca for lunch.

000---000

House turns to Wilson and grabs a cracker off his plate.

"You know, I got healthy stuff in the hopes that you would eat your own food." Wilson growls, noting House's half eaten cheese pizza, and non- open bag of Fritos.

"I like to keep my figure in check," House replies as he grabs another cracker. He nods over to the couple sitting across the way. "So what's the dirt?"

"Dirt?"

"On the hot brunette, Chase is with."

"Dr. Valera? She's the new clinic doctor."

"How'd I miss that?" House asks incredulously.

"You wouldn't if you've actually been into clinic this week, instead having your fellows sign your name."

"What does it matter as long as Cuddy thinks my hours are getting done?"

Wilson sighs. "I don't know much about her. She just moved her from California and she seems friendly with the staff."

"You think they're doing it in a patient's room?"

"House! She's been here for a little less than two weeks."

"You said she's friendly."

000---000

"Well what did you expect him to say?"

"I'm not sure."

"Maybe you just asked the wrong question."

"What do you mean?"

"We've been talking for fifteen minutes and I still haven't figured out what you wanted. No offense, I know I haven't known you that long, but you're kind of cryptic." Rebecca says matter- of- factly.

Chase looks at her surprised, "Me, cryptic?"

"It comes off more aloof actually, but only because people aren't looking."

An amused smile crosses Chase face, as he pushes more noodles and sauce around his plate. _That's an interesting observation._

"I just wanted to know how to get some real insight into a person."

Rebecca crooks her head to the side. "How much insight do you need?"

Chase looks off to the other side of the cafeteria. He sees House yelling something obscene to a hapless surgeon, who looks quite frighten that the man is addressing him. Wilson looks down at his salad shaking his head, wanting no part in being associated with this conversation, as the surgeon scampers out of the room.

Rebecca looks in his direction. "Does this have anything to do with a famous man with a cane?"

Chase sighs and nods.

"I think you're taking him way too much into consideration. They're working for you, not him."

"And I work for him." Chase looks over House and Wilson and sees that they are watching him. He feels self- conscious, wondering why they decided to take an interest in him all of a sudden. He turns to Rebecca who decides to wave to them.

"What are you doing?" Chase hisses.

"I'm just being polite," she says casually. "They've been staring at us since they got here."

Chase looks back over to them and sees Wilson shyly waving back, and House giving her a mischievous grin.

"You shouldn't have done that, he'll see it as an pass to harass you."

Rebecca shrugs, "From what I hear, he doesn't need a pass."

000---000

Chase follows Rebecca back to the clinic.

"What kind of people does House like to have working for him?" Rebecca asks as she puts on her body fluid stained lab coat.

Chase considers this, "People who he considers interesting… and mildly useful."

"Doesn't everyone?" They make their way back to the nurses station, and Rebecca grabs a chart.

"What would you ask?" Chase asks. Rebecca looks at him perplexed. "If you were going to interview someone."

Rebecca pauses for a moment. "If you are going to get ten million dollars tomorrow, would you still want to be a doctor?"

Chase is taken aback. "Where'd you get that question?"

"From my dad. He always asks that when he hires people."

"You're Dad's a doctor too?"

"Yup." Rebecca notices that Chase still looks a little stressed.

"Don't worry so much, you'll work it out." She says, then reaches up and gives him an encouraging squeeze on his shoulder. She turns around and heads into a patient room.

Chase lets out a breath, reflecting on what she just said. He looks at the door Rebecca just went through, and grins. Somehow, he didn't think she said that just to be nice. He grabs a chart and heads into another clinic room.

000---000

Cameron sees Chase return from the cafeteria with a pretty doctor. She feels a slight twinge in her stomach as an they continue in intimate conversation by the nurses station. Cameron notices that Chase is discernibly less tense than when he was talking with her earlier. The pretty doctor reaches up to Chase's shoulder and give him a reassuring squeeze. She then grabs a patient file and heads into a clinic room, Chase does the same. In the station, Nurse Brenda, and the peppy blond nurse who normally works in the ER, share arched eyebrows of scandal and disapproval to the two as they walk away from the nurses station.

As Cameron approaches them, the nurses stop their heated gossiping. Cameron feels uncomfortable, as if they were talking about her. But that's just paranoia right?

"Good day, Brenda," Cameron says.

"Dr. Cameron," Brenda says giving her a trained, but insincere smile. "Working in the clinic today?"

"No, I'm about to head to the ER, now. I was wondering if Dr. Chase is busy." Brenda and the ER nurse throw each other a knowing look.

"He's with a patient. Shall I page him?" Brenda asks.

"That isn't necessary." Cameron starts to walk away.

"What's necessary is that she get a new leash for the puppy," she hears the ER nurse mutter.

Cameron turns around. "What did you say?" The nurses can't hide their guilty faces. They quickly shut their mouths and walk off. Cameron frowns, something's going on with Chase, and she's going to find out.

0000----0000

To be continued...

More Chase Wilson moments!

* * *

Please R&R! Bad Reviews especially welcome! How does everyone think this story is going?

* * *

Oh and to answer last chapters pop culture questions, which I realize now are horror movie trivia.

Mr. Loomis, a.k.a. The Creepy Old Janitor with a Hump- is the name of the psychiatrist from _Halloween_ (best horror movie ever!).

Mr. Scheck, a.k.a. Chase's ghost/ run away geriatrics patient- is from _Nosferatu,_ a famous German silent film based on Dracula. The actor Max Scheck played Count Orlock (A very decrepit and creepy looking vampire).

* * *

So here's some easy House trivia, What's the name of the hospital wings on the show? 

0000----0000


	10. Dr Wilson Visits the Shelly Wing

Summary: Chase takes the job leading a second diagnostics that Cuddy offered Foreman at the end of season 3. This is the story of him going through the interview process.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own House or its characters, nor make monetary profit off them.

All original characters are mine.

000000000000000000000----0000000000000000000000000

Dr. Wilson Visits the Shelly Wing

He looks around amused by his settings. It's cold, kind of damp, and has a faint asbestos feel to it. No wonder most of the doctors avoid this part of the hospital if they could help it. The only time most people venture into this wing is if there's a problem with their paychecks.

He comes to an intersection, unsure of where to go next. He looks down both sides of the corridor. The lights flicker above him. At the corner of his eye, he sees an old hunchback wheel a trash can. A sudden tickle caress the back of his neck, and he felt a sudden cold chill go through his body. James Wilson turns around only to see an empty hallway. He nervously laughs. His first trip to the Shelly wing is going to be an interesting one. Coupled with another first, staying after hours to have a little chat with a Dr. Chase.

Wilson comes to the only open door in the walkway. He peers inside to find Chase completely absorbed in whatever he is looking at on his laptop. He finds it strange that Chase is sitting on one of those doctor's rolling doctor's stools from the clinic that have no back, when an old, but plush green chair has been disregarded to the corner of the tiny office.

"What are you looking up?"

"What exactly a Cornerback does."

"He tries to intercept the ball from the Wide Receiver."

Chase finally looks up. Wilson wonders if the look of shock on Chase's face is because he thought he was talking to someone else, or because everything he just said came out in pig Latin.

"He tries to take the ball away from the other team?"

"Oh, thanks." Chase replies uncertainly.

The look of shock hasn't gone away. He's surprised to see Wilson. Wilson sighs, "I thought Cuddy wasn't going to be able to give you access to the internet until Monday?"

"Loomis helped me get an illegal connection through the accounting network."

"Who's Loomis?

"The Creepy Old Hunchback with a Broom, he's the Shelly Wing's version of the Weird Night Janitor who Wears his Pant's Backwards. He's networked everyone in Geriatrics. Apparently, I can hack into payroll…if I knew how."

He looks at Wilson expectantly, puzzled by why he's here.

Wilson steps inside the office, and leans against the door frame.

Wilson, "I don't think I gave you very good advice when you came to me today."

Chase half smiles at Wilson, "Why don't you have a seat?"

Chase gets a "You've got mail alarm" from his computer.

"Anything important?" Wilson asks as he drags the green chair from the corner.

"Cameron just asked me to get take out at Mr. Chang's for dinner tonight." Chase looks up to see what Wilson is doing. "Oh don't sit…"

Wilson leans back in the chair and is immediately thrown on his backside.

000---000

Chase brushes away brown locks to get a better look at the cut in the back of Wilson's head.

"Doesn't look like you need stitches."

"I'm fine really."

Wilson looks out the door to see the several middle- aged nurses peeking at them from their station.

"Why'd we come here?"

"The lighting is better."

Wilson has to agree with that assessment. It almost looks like Cuddy actually cares about this building, based on the hall. While still old, the hall is in still good condition, definitely less creepy than the corridor Chase is in. She probably reserved those offices special for doctors she wanted to torture for some reason.

Wilson notices as more ladies gathering around the nurse's station.

"Am I really that interesting?" Wilson asks.

"Well it's not everyday that the number one person on the doable list comes to Geriatrics," Chase mutters.

Chase immediately feels the burning in his cheeks. He and Wilson do not have that kind of relationship. He leaves Wilson's head, and goes to the counter, in the hopes that Wilson went spontaneously deaf at that moment. He shakes his head wondering what possessed him to say such a thing.

Wilson does a double take when he hears Chase's glib remark. He turns to see Chase fiddling around the with the instruments, noticing the reddening cheeks on a usually composed doctor Chase. He can't help, but be amused, House is right, Chase does have his moments.

"Number one, huh? Did that exchange surgeon, finally go back to France?"

Chase chuckles, relieved that Wilson isn't going to make anything more of his remark. "I think his affair with a pediatric nursing student did him in."

"Really? Hmm, my sources are usually better with that sort of information."

Chase has to grin. Wilson is infamous for having the ear of every nurse in the PPTH.

Suddenly, a short, voluptuous nurse of about seventy, enters the room carrying two big jugs of coffee.

"Would you like any coffee Dr. Wilson?" She asks as she holds out a cup.

Chase smirks. "You should try it. June's coffee is the best in the hospital."

Wilson takes the coffee, as Chase tends to his wound. He takes a sip. A gives the nurse a big smile. "He's right about that. This is better than the coffee shop around the corner. What'd you put in this?"

"Secret family recipe." She winks at him as she sashays her way out of the room, as best as a woman with a hip replacement can.

"Watch out for your cheeks with that one," Chase states.

000---000

Chase walks with Wilson back to Oncology, after Wilson got paged, much to the dismay of every woman in the Shelly Wing.

He's surprised that their conversation hasn't been that awkward. Though neither one of them has discuss events that have happened earlier in the day.

Wilson is the first to bite the bullet. "Why did you come see me, this morning?" he asks suddenly.

Chase has to take a moment. He isn't quite ready to approach the subject again. Wilson had been informing him on the surprisingly interesting lives of the members of the hospital board, before he asked that question.

"Why did you come see me, right now?"

Wilson grinned. Chase really was House's pupil, he tried to deflect like him. "I asked first, and I have a head wound."

Chase sighs. His first instinct is to just drop the subject, but then a nagging voice tells him that there's nothing to lose by asking what he really wants to know. "Is there a way to know how people are going to react around House?"

That's the third thing Chase has said today that surprised Wilson. He stops and turns around, noticing that Chase has slowed down his pace considerably, his head down, like he's counting the tiles on the floor.

Wilson realizes that its not easy for Chase to come to people when he has a problem. Chase took a risk by coming to him this morning, and was obviously disappointed when their conversation didn't amount to much. He's taking a bigger risk now, by being straight forward with him.

"Not really," Wilson replies. Chase looks up at him expectantly. Wilson tried to prepare each of his three ex- wives for House's disposition before they met him. Each time their reactions did not go at all as expected. "Unless you have House, in the room with you, acting like himself, there's really no way you to know how someone's going to react ."

"Well, that's certainly not an option." Chase grumbles. Wilson's tilts his head to the side.

Wilson finds the comment logical, but feels that there's more too it. "Why do you need to know?" Wilson asks.

"Because House, is House, and there's no telling what he'll do."

"But Cuddy promised your team's autonomy."

"Since when has Cuddy's promises have meant anything to House."

Wilson had to agree with that sentiment. Yet he had a feeling that Chase was over thinking the whole interviewing process.

"Are you really that worried about hiring people?" Wilson asks.

Chase looks down at the floor again..

"Most of the time, I hire people who I think I can stand being around for twelve hours a day."

Chase chuckles, "That's not very helpful."

Wilson shrugs. "It's not hard to find people who are smart, capable, or competent. It's hard finding people who you think will have something to offer. As for House, let's just hope that no one scares easily…House teaches you guys how to evaluate people and read in between the lines when you talk to people, right?" Chase nods. "That's already more than what most people know."

Chase lets Wilson's words sink in, "Any other advice?"

Wilson looks at Chase's orange and blue plaid tie, complete with an orange and blue pin striped shirt, with jeans. "Have Cameron choose your outfit to interview in," Wilson replies dryly.

Chase looks down at his ensemble questioningly, as they pass through the doors of the Oncology floor. "What's wrong with my outfit?"

"What did I tell you about getting your own Wilson?" a grumpy voice calls out to them.

Wilson and Chase see House waiting by the nurses station.

"Were you the one who paged me?"

"Yeah, I figured emergency with chemo patient would get you here faster, than 'what does House want now'." House looks over to Chase. He shifts uncomfortably as House peers at him.

"Still looking for the million dollar question?"

Chase turns accusingly to Wilson, who smiles apologetically.

"Just ask them what boxers or briefs wear," says to him

Chase rolls his eyes and walks away. "I'm telling you it will be more informative, than 'Which dead relative made you decide to become a doctor?'" House calls after him.

Chase opens the hall doors, than turns suddenly, "What if they're a woman?" he asks sarcastically, as he lets the door slam behind him.

House grins looks over to Wilson, who shakes his head at him. "Someone really needs to put a bell around your neck."

00000000000---00000000000

Chapter preview: Chase sleeps the night in the hospital, and it isn't because he has a case.

Two words: Lovers spat.

000---000

Author's inquiry: So what did you all think about my characterizations? Good, bad, too OOC?

Since it is the holidays, I am offering presents, however you cannot get one if you don't give me any. (A.k.a. Would love feed back! Please r&r!)

P.S. Name change is my evil little ploy to get more of an audience. Did it work? Do you like it?


	11. Caught in your Underwear

Thanks to geminiginny, The-Amazing-Lyndz, and AccentFetish for your reviews. Their Christmas present was a special preview of this chapter.

Though, I did revise the scene a little. It's much better now!

Summary: Chase takes the job leading a second diagnostics that Cuddy offered Foreman at the end of season 3. This is the story of him going through the interview process.

Disclaimer: Do not own House/ David Shore characters, nor make monetary profit off them.

All original characters are mine.

00000000000---00000000000

Caught in your Underwear

"Just ask them what boxers or briefs wear," Chase hears House call out to him as he exits through the doors.

"I'm telling you it will be more informative, than 'Which dead relative made you decide to become a doctor?'

Chase shakes his head as he walks away.

Even if he could get away with asking a question like that when he interviews, how exactly is the answer more informative?

Chase looks back to his own interview with House. House had asked him so many provoking questions, that when it came to boxers versus briefs, he didn't even bat an eye. In fact, he had caught onto House's game, and found the question amusing.

Then, a light clicks in his head. It isn't really the answer that is important, it's the reaction. "Boxers or briefs?", might be an interesting question, not that he'll be able to ask it without seeming like a total pervert.

Chase wonders if House asked the same thing to Cameron. Foreman was interviewed by Cuddy, and Chase is pretty sure, that if House had asked Foreman that, Foreman would have socked him.

Though, boxers or briefs, don't doesn't exactly apply to women. "bikini or thong?" is probably more relevant, but would get any man a righteous slap in the face, by any woman not just Cameron.

Speaking of Cameron, Chase makes his way into the ER locker room.

000---000

Chase enters to find the locker room teaming with people. It's between shifts so everyone's either coming into or leaving work.

He finds Cameron sitting on the bench, her back turned from him, placing things in her duffle bag.

"Hi Cam," Chase greets her. "I haven't had time to call Mr. Chang's yet, but I was wondering if we could get take out at that Italian place next door instead."

"Why were you busy?" Cameron asks coolly.

"Oh, I was caught up googling people on the computer. Course, Cuddy's got me doing double clinic hours since I'm actually starting to interview. I think she actually suspects that I might pick a team." Chase replies lightly, oblivious to Cameron's rising fumes. She still has her face away from him, hiding a very pissed off look from his view.

"You seem better, since lunch," Cameron sits up, and stares at her opened locker.

"Yeah well, Wilson dropped by… hey, did House ask you what kind of underwear do you wear when he interviewed you?"

Cameron remains silent. Not really listening to what he's saying. Her mind has other ideas of where this conversation should go.

Not getting any comment to his question, Chase finally notices Cameron's sulking. "Is everything okay?" he asks with concern. "Did something happen today?"

"Who's R?" Cameron asks calmly.

Chase furrows his eyebrows completely confused. "Who are, what?"

"Who's R!" Cameron growls, as she stands up and slams her locker door shut, causing Chase to jump.

"Who are, what?" Chase scratches his head. "I don't understand."

"Sure, you don't," Cameron says mockingly. She picks up her bag and stomps past Chase.

Chase head starts to whirl. "Where is this coming from?" he thinks. For a girl who demands that people be straight and direct, she isn't doing a very good job herself. Chase puts his hand on Cameron's arm. "Allison, please." He pleads understanding.

Cameron turns and glares at a very bewildered Chase. Unbeknownst to them, all conversations and movement in the room have stopped. All eyes and ears are completely engrossed on this week's newest attraction.

Chase is completely flabbergasted. "What has Cameron so upset that she can't finish her sentences." He wonders.

"Who are you talking about?" Chase tries again.

"Who's R the letter, not A-R-E, you idiot!" Cameron snaps.

Chase flinches at Cameron using House's favorite pet name for him. He's still too confused to say anything.

"The post- it." Cameron clarifies like she's accusing him of something.

Chase frowns and scratches his head. "Post it?"

Cameron crosses her arms. "You know what? I don't want Mr. Chang's for dinner. In fact, I don't want to have dinner…with you."

Cameron turns, flips his hair in his face and walks out of the locker room.

Chase just stands there trying to process what happened. He has no idea what to do, especially since he has no idea why she's mad at him.

Finally, he notices that the room is dead silent. He looks around to see that all the doctors and med students are staring at him. They all quickly go about their business, pretending like they weren't hanging on every word of Chase and Cameron's very public fight.

Chase sighs, just when he thinks things were getting better for him, his girlfriend flips out in front of the entire hospital.

000---000

The blond ER nurse eavesdrops on three med students talking about the exciting fight that took place in the locker room.

"Do you think 'R' is another woman?"

"Do you think 'R' is another man?"

"What makes you guys so sure that it's an affair?"

"Please, there's only one reason a woman would be that upset. Heck, I only wish the hot Aussie doc was having an affair with me."

The nurse's ears perk up. She has to get in on this.

"Excuse me," she interrupts. The turn towards her surprised. She smiles sweetly at them. "Would you be talking about Dr. Chase, perhaps?"

They look around at each other and shrug. "I don't know, Arlene. Want to check out the video? I caught it on my phone."

Arlene smirks evily. Looks like she just found her newest livejournal post.

0000000---0000000

Like how I was meta?

In case you haven't notice, the gossipy ER nurse, who has popped up a couple of times, finally has a name, ARLENE. I got tired of calling her the ER nurse.

She'll make another appearance, so naming her isn't a total waste.

000---000

Sorry, for the misleading preview in the earlier chapter. When I finally started writing everything down, I found that it would be better for the structure if it was broken up.

Next Chapter: Chase wakes up to Cuddy's face.

It happens I promise!

000---000

Please R&R! Maybe you'll get a belated present in your stocking too!

Author's inquiry: How was my Cameron? She's not too out of character I hope.


	12. Lilac Ties

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I've been really inspired lately, so I'm updating a lot faster than usual. Let's hope this keeps up, but I'm not making any promises. **

Summary: Chase takes the job leading the second diagnostics team that Cuddy offered Foreman at the end of season 3. This is the story of him going through the interview process.

Authors note: I just wanted to remind people that Rebecca's last name is Valera- Casey.

Disclaimer: Do not own House/ David Shore characters, nor make monetary profit off them.

All original characters are mine.

00000000000---00000000000

Lilac Ties

"Chase… Dr. Chase…"

Chase slowly drifts out of the darkness. As he shifts from his position, he hears paper crunching.

"Hmm." Chase replies as he continues to snooze.

"Chase, open your eyes!"

Chase is jolted from his slumber. He pops his eyes open to see Cuddy's stern face looking at him from above.

"Ah!" Chase rolls over, only to fall four and a half feet to the cold tile below.

"Oof!" Chase lands on his stomach. He turns over to see that he has fallen off a clinic room exam bed, and Cuddy towering over him in some very intimidating heels.

"Good morning to you too." Cuddy replies dryly.

He smiles sheepishly at her.

000---000

After the fight, Chase's evening continued on its downward spiral. He walked out into the parking lot only to remember that he had carpooled with Cameron from their apartment, and they took her car. Not feeling very motivated to go home, Chase decided to go to the University Café, where the cashier asked him if he had his ID for the student discount.

When he called Cameron to see if she had calmed down, she hanged up on him. Not wanting to face a passive aggressive Cameron in a one bedroom apartment, he decided spend the night in the hospital, where the whole staff looked at him like he ran over their dog.

He tried sleeping in various lounges and waiting rooms, only to have the staff and patients harassing him all night. Whether it is on purpose or not, Chase couldn't get a moments peace. He couldn't go to his office, because it would be like sleeping in a freezer. It's not like he has anything to sleep on. The evil green chair would probably throw him off it, and crack his skull on the cement floor, and lying on a cold steel desk isn't appealing either.

So, he bribed the Weird Night Janitor to lock him in one of the clinic rooms. House isn't the only doctor who avoids clinic duty like the plague. He spent the rest of the night tossing and turning on wax paper wondering how "R" made Cameron so mad at him.

000---000

Chase really wishes he had thought to pay the Night Janitor to wake him up as well, because the last person in the whole world he wanted to find him sleeping on an exam room bed is Dr. Cuddy.

"Do I want to know why you were sleeping here, last night?" Cuddy asks him crossly. Chase could only shrug and pick himself off the floor. "Never mind, I don't. Pull yourself together. You've got important things to do today."

Chase goes to put on his lab coat. "Like more clinic hours." He grumbles. No doubt Cuddy is going to punish him.

"Like your interviews?"

Chase's heart drops to his stomach. His interviews! His quarrel with Cameron caused him to forget that today is the first day he's interviewing people for his team.

"Did you forget?" Cuddy asks him incredulously.

"No." Chase turns his face away from her as he picks up his satchel. "I'll just run home and shower…"

"You're first interview is in half an hour." Cuddy informs him.

"What? What time is it?"

"It's eight- thirty. Are you prepared?"

"Of course!" Chase answers eagerly. Inwardly, he's panicking. He has to interview in half an hour, and he still has very little idea about what to ask. "I have everything I need."

Cuddy takes a look at Chase's rumpled hair and mismatched clothing, and a strange twinge of pity washes over her for some reason.

"You need one more thing."

000---000

"When confronted by a possibly dangerous clinic patient, quietly tell a nurse to contact security, be calm and try not to alarm the individual…"

Foreman looks around the conference room at his severely bored staff. A couple of nurses are whispering to each other, one doctor texting on his black berry, another is catching up on her charts, and one is dozing off into sleep. Most everyone else in the room seems to be staring off into space as he leads the meeting.

Cuddy decided that it would be a good idea for every department to go over safety protocols every six months. Unfortunately, one of those meetings landed on Foreman's first two weeks as the head of the clinic. He has to run a meeting of information they have all heard before, to a disinterested staff from whom he still needed to earn their respect.

Foreman had no idea how difficult and tedious being an administrator is suppose to be. He had always aspired to be head of a department. Now that he is the head clinic administrator, Foreman finds the position completely lack luster. Part of him wishes that he took Cuddy's offer to head the second diagnostic team, when he had a chance. At least that would be more interesting than mountains of paper work, and the doctors bitching at him all day about scheduling.

Foreman finishes going over the protocol when everyone starts to stand up.

"People! We still need to go over the fire evacuation."

Everyone groans and sits back down. Foreman snaps when he sees the new doctors roll their eyes at each other.

"Hobbs, Valera! You two are new. You should be paying more attention!"

"But we went through all this information at the safety orientation, a week ago," Hobbs whines. Valera simply reopens her patient folder.

Cuddy walks through the door.

"Doctor Forman, I need you for important hospital business."

Foreman lets out a sigh of relief. "Dr. Valera- Casey, since you already know all the safety protocols, why don't you lead everyone through the fire one."

"Sure. Is that our last protocol to go over?" She gets up and makes her way to the head of the table.

"Yes," Foreman answers, thinking she'll get a taste of her own medicine. She smiles and quite readily takes the protocol binder from him.

Foreman follows Cuddy out the door.

"What's the first thing you do when you hear the fire alarm go off?" Valera asks.

"You announce where the fire exits are," Hobbs answers.

"Nope. Have admin desk confirm with security that the alarm is real." She says without looking down at the binder. "Guess you were sleeping through orientation, too. Who knows what we do after that?"

Everyone looks around realizing that maybe they should pay better attention.

000---000

"You want me to what?"

Cuddy and Foreman stand outside the men's shower room.

"Trade clothing with Chase." Cuddy answers like it's the most natural thing in the world.

"No." Foreman protests. "It's not my fault Cameron kicked him out."

"He needs to look more administrative, and he doesn't have time to go shopping."

"It's not like he'll even know what to buy." Foreman mutters.

"Which is even more reason he needs your suit. You're the best dressed doctor in the hospital."

Foreman lets out a breath. "I don't see how lending Chase my clothes is important to the hospital."

"I can't have people thinking my hospital is run by a bunch of teenagers. It's bad enough House acts like one."

"Fine, but you'll owe me." He pushes through the locker room door.

000---000

Chase splashes water on his face. He pats his face with a towel. He looks up into the mirror to see Foreman arms cross and glaring at him.

"Two words, dry cleaning."

000---000

Foreman can't help but chuckle at the sight of Chase in his clothing. Chase walks up to him wearing his charcoal gray suit with lilac shirt and matching lilac and royal blue striped tie. The clothes were just hanging from his smaller frame.

"You look like you're wearing your father's suit," Foreman comments.

"My dad would never wear this," Chase gripes as he fusses with Foreman's lilac tie. He goes to look at himself in the mirror.

"Yeah," Foreman admits. "Not a lot of men have the confidence to pull off lilac." He looks at Chase pouting in the mirror. He doesn't look bad. He would look more put together if his suit actually fit him, and if he wasn't wearing a pair of converse sneakers on his feet. Foreman refused to lend him his shoes, since he isn't wearing any socks.

"Who do you think Cuddy's ringing to find me shoes?"

"She's probably hoping that you stay behind the desk."

Both Chase and Foreman let out a snort. House has ever made them to do anything this strange.

"Do you think she takes some perverse pleasure in torturing us?" Foreman asks.

"It's probably transference, because she can't force House to do anything." Chase replies.

They burst out laughing. Only in the PPTH would they have to do things like this for the job.

"So how do you like being in charge of the clinic?" Chase asks, suddenly.

Foreman shrugs, feeling more somber. "It's not what I expected." He looks at Chase with little envy. "You're lucky you get to hire your staff. I've got five doctors. Two of them are barely competent, two of them are completely incompetent, and one is a very competent pain in my ass."

Chase laughs nervously. "How so?"

"She just questions everything I do, and thinks she knows better."

"Sounds like someone I know." Chase looks at Foreman accusingly.

Foreman gasps, "I was not that bad!"

"Like you let House get away with anything, even when he was right."

Foreman concedes. "You may have a point."

"How do you handle it?" Chase asks

"You just got to let them know who's in charge. Don't let them smell your fear. He notices that he's scratching underneath his shirt cuffs. "And don't fidget. People think it's a nervous tick." Foreman goes around to the front of Chase and jerkily redoes the tie around his neck.

"I'm allergic to starch, and I need a belt!" Chase says as he holds up Foreman's slacks from falling from his waist.

Foreman grabs Chase's jeans, takes the belt off and tosses it to him. "Here. There's no way I can fit into these," he holds up Chase's blue and orange plaid tie, "or pull off this ugly- ass tie."

000---000

Chase can't help but scratch his neck as he tries to look over the notes he googled on his interview candidates. Foreman gets his clothes pressed with extra starch, and it's causing him to break out, especially around his neck. He can't help but to fidget and tug at Foreman's clothes. However, being so uncomfortable doesn't keep his mind from wondering to Cameron. .

They've been in an "official" relationship for five months. One month longer than Cameron's marriage, and let's face it, Chase has never been in a real relationship. At times, it feels like the most natural thing in the world, giving each other massages when stressed, talking shop about the hospital, making the bed together in the morning. Other times, it's like they're still trying to feel each other out, and how to go about being a couple.

Living together has been a strange adventure. The only woman he's ever lived with before was his mother. He took care of her and their home. Cameron hasn't notice how he tries to keep everything the way she likes. When she insists he do something a certain way, he does it. Her requests are all little things. He knows better than most, that fighting over little things only leads to trouble.

The only thing they ever argue about is their communication issues. It the one area that keeps their relationship awkward at times. They still have trouble opening up and being straight forward with each other.

The hairs on the back of Chase's neck start to stand up. It's not because his office suddenly went cold, or senses a "ghost," it's because he senses something very wrong his happening. He's been waiting an awfully long time for his first interview.

He checks his watch, and sees that his first three appointments have not shown up. He opens his door and looks down the hall. It is empty. As hard as it is to find his office, three people missing their appointments is very suspicious. He checks his email to see if Cuddy's secretary has emailed him about people canceling. Since Cuddy hasn't put a phone line in his office yet, Chase had been coordinating with her secretary to schedule appointments and handle travel plans.

Nothing. The only new message he has is from accounting, telling him that he received a twenty thousand dollar donation to his team budget.

Chase starts to pace in his office. He can't shake the feeling that something afoul is going on with his interviews. Even if people were having trouble finding his office, or lost interest in the job, three professionals completely dropping an interview for a prestigious fellowship is suspect. It isn't like the Shelly Wing suddenly swallowed up all his candidates.

Chase hears a knock at the door. He looks up to see Mr. Loomis standing in the door frame.

"Dr. Chase, there's a phone call waiting for you in Geriatrics."

Somehow, Chase senses that this phone call will be the answer to all his questions.

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Next Chapter: Chase is not amused.

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R&R and you'll get a special preview. Actual constructive criticism please!

Author's inquiry: Does Lilac or Lavender sound more frilly?


	13. Stunt Double

**What happened to Chase's missing interviews? Check out this chapter to find out? **

Summary: Chase takes the job leading the second diagnostics team that Cuddy offered Foreman at the end of season 3. This is the story of him going through the interview process.

Rating: T- for harsh language.

Disclaimer: Do not own House/ David Shore characters, nor make monetary profit off them.

All original characters are mine.

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Stunt Double

Chase rushes into Geriatrics.

"Good morning, Dr. Chase!" The nurses sing as he runs through the doors. Normally, that reaction would stop Chase in his tracks, but today, a determined Chase made a beeline for the phone.

"Good morning, Dr. Chase," greets June warmly, as she hands him the phone. Noticing his demeanor, "Is something wrong?"

"We'll see," Chase says quietly.

Normally, June would have pinched Chase's ass as she walks away, but seeing that his seriousness, she opts to just ogle his butt extra long.

"Hello, this is Chase."

"Robert?"

"Rebecca?"

"Did any of your interviews show up?"

"No."

"I think I might know where they are."

000---000

Chase dashes at top speed through the halls weaving his way past doctors, nurses, and orderlies. The PPTH staff never seen such a flurry of blond hair and lilac.

He sprints up to the diagnostic conference room doors. He tries to stop, but steps on the cuffs of the pants causing him to slip and falls on his butt. He slides to a stop, nearly slamming into the glass wall of the conference room, where about twenty well dress people who are packed in there, looked at him curiously.

Chase picks himself off the floor and He goes to push the doors open, but finds that they are locked. The people on the other side try to pull it open, but find that they are locked in. Murmurs of alarm and bewilderment spread through everyone in the room.

Chase runs House's office. He bangs on the glass doors, with such fury those inside suspect that he's trying to shatter them.

"House! House!" Chase calls. The blinds are fully closed so that he can't see what's going on inside. "You can not hijack my interviews!" He pounds on the door some more.

House's head appears through the blinds. Chase gets a peak into the office, seeing a very confused looking Indian woman sitting at his desk.

"No hablo Ingles." House tells him, and disappears once more behind the blinds.

Chase's eyes go wide with fury. He pounds on the doors some more.

"Let me in, you bastard!" He gives the door a swift kick for good measure.

People start coming out of their offices and stop walking in the halls to watch the commotion. Chase looks around and sees everyone staring at him. Instead of feeling self- conscious, he gets an idea. Twenty eyes follow him through the other side of the glass, as he races towards oncology.

000---000

Wilson hears loud, persistent banging coming from his door.

He rolls his eyes, and goes to open it.

"House, since when do you…" On the other side of the door, Wilson finds a manic Chase.

"Excuse me," Chase says calmly, and walks into the office, passing the stunned patient on Wilson's couch, and exits through the balcony.

000---000

Chase hops over the wall that separates Wilson's and House's balconies, ignoring the ripping sound that's coming from Foreman's pant leg.

He turns the knob to House's office. It's unlock! Chase flings the door open.

000---000

All eyes in the conference room turn to see a very sweaty, very pissed off blond enter the room. He lets the door swing close, nearly hitting the bewildered brunette behind him in the face.

They scramble to make a path, and watch him zip through to House's office. He tries to push the door open, but finds it locked as well.

He pounds on the door with both fist repeatedly.

The padded end of a cane pokes through the blinds and slams the door.

"I told you wombats to keep quiet if you want the job!" House yells in a very bad Australian accent, from the other side of the blinds.

"House, open this door now!"

House uses his cane to push the blinds aside, genuinely surprised to see Chase in the conference room.

"Or what?" House asks in his regular voice.

Chase simply shots him a death glare that would give Cuddy's a run for her money. House frowns to hide his grimace. He wonders if he finally broke him.

Chase is quite a sight. His hair disheveled, sweat pouring from his forehead, and staining a ring around his shirt collar. His pants have a hole at the knee and look dusty. His jaw clenched and his fist balled up like he's ready for a fight.

House simply unlocks the door and hold it open.

000---000

Chase stomps into the room. His eyes not leaving House.

"Can you give us a moment, please?" he asks the young woman sitting at the desk, in an eerily calm way.

The woman quickly runs into the conference room. House closes the door behind her.

He braces himself, for Chase's reaction. Chase breathes heavily saying nothing. He keeps his fist clenched as he just stares at House.

House waits for a moment, wondering why Chase hasn't said anything yet. He goes behind his desk, thinking that objects between them, would be a good idea. Chase's eyes follow him the whole time.

House finds his silence odd, disturbing, and amusing. He doesn't know what to make of it.

"Well?" Chase finally asks.

"Well, what?" House retorts.

"What are you doing with my interviews?" Chase grits his teeth.

"I'm just interviewing the candidates for my approval," House says innocently.

"I haven't chosen anyone yet."

"I just thought you needed the help."

"Bull dust!" Chase snaps. "You've done some fouled up things to me, but this is really fucked up! Do you really think of me as some sort of drongo, to not know that is another one of your messed up scams?"

House smirks. He can handle this. "What's a drongo?"

Chase holds in a growl. "You bloody bastard. You must really enjoy making me look like some hapless fool. I don't know why you're doing this, but you're Trittering up my career like you did Wilson's."

"Oh, what do you care, as long as you're working here?"

"You making it impossible for me to work here!" Chase slams his fist on House's desk. He looks at House straight in the eye. "I'm not taking it in the arse anymore."

House stands eye level with Chase. "What are you going to do?" House says threateningly. "Tell Cuddy on me?"

The door flings open from the hall. An irate looking Cuddy enters.

"House you cannot fire everyone and hire new fellows!" Cuddy yells. "Human Resources still hasn't caught up on the paper work from your last game.

Chase and House turn to Cuddy trying to figure out what she's talking about.

000---000

Outside, spectators gather in the hall. This is the most excitement Diagnostics has had in a very long time. Most people have grown accustomed to House shouting inappropriate comments at Cuddy. Other than House getting sucker punched by a patient's family member every now and again, there hasn't been a full on fight in a while. Some muse whether or not to get security, but no one wants to be a party pooper.

A janitor with a hunch back comes walking in, led by one of the new clinic doctors. He gets out a very large ring of keys, and sets to work on unlocking the conference room, where one very tall candidate is pressed up against the glass, looking particularly panicked.

000---000

"Where'd you hear that from?" House asks.

"From Turner." Cuddy replies. "He's worried that he's going to lose his job."

Turner, House's short, gastroenteritis fellow peers through the open door trying to look inconspicuous.

"I'll give him something to worry about," House growls. He walks outside to the hall, and corners Turner, who presses himself against the wall. "You're fired!"

"You can't!" Turner squeaks.

"Oh I just did. Not only did you narc on me, you narc on me with wrong information!"

Turner looks over to Cuddy, who along with Chase followed House into the hall. She looks shocked to find out that she has been misinformed.

"They're not his candidates," Chase tells her, "they're mine."

Cuddy's eyes go wide. She's not sure which bit of information to respond to first.

"Get out of here." she points to Turner, who sulks off. She turns back to House. "What the hells is going on around here!"

The door to the conference room burst open. One very, tall candidate bolts down the hall. Some of the other candidates filter out into the hall, just as confused and curious as everyone else is with the shouting match going on.

House sees Rebecca standing beside a janitor with a hump, whom he's never seen before. They're pulling a ring of key's out of the conference room door.

"Who do you think you are?" He bellows at her.

Rebecca's not intimidated she crosses her arms and looks up disdainfully at House.

"Me? I just informed the janitor about a potential fire hazard," she states, matter of factly.

"Dr. Valera, why aren't you in clinic?" Cuddy asks her.

Rebecca looks over to Chase. She turns her heel and quickly walks down the halls.

Cuddy looks around at the crowd that has gathered. "That goes for the rest of you! Why are you just standing here? Go do your jobs!"

The crowd disperses, disappointed that they didn't get to see more of a smack down. The candidates gather once more in the conference room. Only Wilson remains. Still scratching his head trying to figure out what's going on.

Cuddy takes a deep breath, trying to regain her composure and professionalism.

"House why do you have all of Chase's interviews in your conference room?"

"Because he's an arse," Chase answers, feeling very worn out from the whole event. He walks into the conference room, with Wilson following him.

000---000

Chase enters the room, just as House and Cuddy get into another loud squabble.

"Hello everyone," he greets the candidates. "I'm Dr. Chase."

"Then, who's the man with the cane?" someone asks.

"He's Dr. House, the head of Diagnostics," Wilson answers.

The candidates share questioning looks with one another.

"Did he tell you that he was Dr. Chase?" Chase asks.

They nod.

Chase hangs his head and lets out a deep breath. He stays that way for a moment, causing Wilson to worry about him.

Chase looks up again, putting on his best neutral face.

"Um, because of the this mornings… excitement, I won't be able to interview you today. If you're still interested in a fellowship in diagnostics, please leave you're information with Dr. Wilson. For the rest of you… talk to Dr. Cuddy's office about travel reimbursement."

The candidates look at each other. Some clearly not wanting to have anything to do with this insane asylum can't get out of the room fast enough. The rest look around unsure of what to do.

Chase lets out a sigh, and looks to Wilson. "I'm done."

He leaves the conference room.

Wilson looks worriedly after Chase. He's never seen House do something so flagrantly awful. Usually House has a purpose, when he pulls stunts like this, especially when it involves people's jobs, but Wilson couldn't see it.

The tall candidate who bolted out of the room earlier returns. "What'd I miss?"

Wilson's not sure what answer to give him.

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Next Chapter: Chase makes an important decision about his future.

000---000

Translation:

Drongo- idiot

Bull dust- Bull shit

I found these Australian slang terms on the internet. I really wish I was actually Australian so I could use some more scandalous phrases.

000---000

Please R&R and you'll get a special preview. Actual constructive criticism please!


	14. Cardboard Therapy

Author's note: This chapter was originally twice this long, but I was having so much trouble writing this one scene, that I decided to cut the chapter in half, because I haven't posted in a while.

Hope you like this. I have the next chapter mostly written, just need to get the kinks out.

Disclaimer: Don't own House/ David Shore characters.

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Cardboard Therapy

"Beep! Beep!"

Chase sighs as he turns off the alarm on his beeper.

It's Wilson this time. Both he and Cuddy have been trying to get a hold of him for the past ten minutes, and can't find where he's disappeared off to. He doesn't want them to find him, not now.

Chase looks over the horizon on this crisps autumn day, taking in the beautiful New Jersey landscape. A lot of people come up to the roof to think, smoke, make out, but when he goes up to the ledge and looks out, he feels like he is alone on his own mountain top.

For four years, this has been his sanctuary from the rigors and craziness of the job. His place to clear his head, gather himself.

The view isn't working today. Chase feels his composure slipping away from him. The anger is boiling in his stomach and seeping into his veins. All he wants to do is scream, but he knows that acting like a two year old will do no good. Besides, it's not like he's alone on the roof. A lot of people must be having a trying day. In addition to a couple of orderlies are kicking a soccer ball around, there's a what seems like a whole surgical team taking a cigarette break. It's not like his reputation needs to take another hit, by people reporting that House finally broke him.

House. Chase feels himself shaking, trying to contain all the feelings of anger, disappointment, and betrayal inside. He tells himself, that he knew this was coming, but he never thought that House would do something this extreme. House usually has a reason for his madness. Chase can't see it. That's what upsets him the most. He can't find any positive reason to why House would do this.

"Beep! Beep!"

He looks down at the number. It's from Cuddy. He wonders if she and Wilson finally decided to tag team. He turns off the alarm.

A light wind, brings a cool breeze to where he's standing. It lightly caresses the back of his neck. He closes his eyes, trying to let the coolness calm the turmoil inside him.

"Beep! Beep!"

Chase throws his head back and groans. Now it's coming from Geriatrics! Cuddy and Wilson are trying to outsmart him. Fed up and annoyed, Chase hurls the beeper off the roof, with a loud grunt.

Chase smiles as he looks at the pavement below, where the gadget shattered. He exhales deeply. He straightens up and looks up at the sky. He relaxes his arms to the side, and opens his palms, and closes his eyes to let the breeze go through him.

The silence and the cool breeze start to have a soothing effect…

"Hey Buddy!" a voice interrupts his reprieve. "Whatever it is, it isn't worth it!"

Chase opens his eyes and turns around to see one of the orderlies approaching him very slowly with his arms spread out in front of him.

He looks around to the other people on the roof. They all have frozen in the spots, and have frightened looks on their faces.

"Let's just talk about this." The man continues.

Chase rolls his eyes. "I'm not going to pitch myself off the ledge!" He snarls at them, before sulking back into the building.

000---000

Rebecca enters clinic looking rather ticked off.

It was unusually quiet in clinic today. She had figured that she was in for another uneventful eight to five shift, full of convincing patients that they don't need antibiotics for a stuffy nose. That was, until Dr. Turner from Diagnostics came in, wailing that House was going to fire him. She didn't expect to uncover a kidnapping scheme or run all over the hospital looking for a janitor. Luckily, the Hunchback Janitor from the Shelly Wing was already on his way to Diagnostics. She really didn't expect that working at a free clinic in Princeton, New Jersey, would be as eventful as it has been, and she has one person to thank for that.

"Where've you been?" Nurse Brenda asks reprimanding , when she approaches the nurses' station.

"Diagnostics." Rebecca simply says. Brenda gives her a knowing nod. Many people look like that when they come from Diagnostics.

"What did Dr. House do now?"

"Take hostages."

"What else is knew." Brenda says unimpressed, as she hands her a patient chart and walks away.

Rebecca grins and shakes her head. House's reputation for being both brilliant and disagreeable have proceeded him. She's heard things from other nurses and doctors, but she figured that they were over exaggerating.

Rebecca finally understands why Robert was so worried about House. What she doesn't understand is why he chose to work for him, if he thought that something like this could happen. Either this is a really great job, or there's more to Robert Chase than she first realized.

Rebecca sighs, as she opens the patient chart to get a look at it before she goes into the clinic room.

Foreman comes up to her, "Valera, I need you finish up with the woman in room four, for me."

Rebecca sees that he's wearing pink scrubs. "What happened to your suit? Aw, don't tell me you're pawning off a spitter on me, again."

Foreman narrows his eyes at her, "She's not a spitter, it's Munchausen's."

"Oh, why don't you just discharge her?"

Foreman rolls his eyes, "Because I want you to."

Rebecca frowns. She's never responds well to "because I told you to." She'd probably give Foreman less of a fight, if he didn't act so condescending towards her.

"Fine, then you can handle bloody stool, and vomiting." She offers her chart to him.

Foreman glares at her. He keeps the Munchausen's folder. "Where's Hobbs?" He walks away.

Nurse Brenda comes up to her. "No one came in with bloody stool and vomiting."

Valera shrugs impishly, "Oh, I must have mis-read."

000---000

Cameron's been eyeing her ever since she returned to the clinic. She watches her as she walks up to the nursing station, talks with Foreman, laughing with Brenda.

She feels a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

"Oh, sorry Dr. Cameron," Nurse Arlene says. "I need you to sign Mr. Davidov's discharge papers."

Cameron grabs the chart, but keeping her eyes on the woman talking with Brenda. Arlene follows Cameron's gaze.

"Cocky little thing, isn't she?" Arlene insinuates, she takes the chart back. "Everyone thinks so."

Cameron clenches her jaw and stomps towards the woman. Behind her, Arlene smirks evilly.

000---000

Cameron is poised to rip Rebecca's head off when Cuddy and Wilson bursts into clinic.

"Cameron!" Cuddy shouts. "Have you seen Chase?"

Arlene throws her head back and groans. She puts her cell phone back in her pocket and walks back to the ER.

Cameron turns to Cuddy surprised. "Chase? No, why?"

Wilson in a more calm manner. "He isn't answering his page, and an orderly said that he was about to jump off the building."

Cameron whirls her head around. _Chase jumping off the building? _

"That's insane!" someone interjects. "If Dr. House did that to me, I'd be homicidal, not suicidal."

They all turn towards Rebecca, surprised that he's in the room.

Cuddy shoots her an annoyed look. "Dr. Valera, do you know where Dr. Chase is?"

"No." Rebecca whispers.

"Then I think your involvement with the situation, is over."

Rebecca pouts, she quickly goes into a clinic room.

Cameron's mind is spinning. House did something that made Chase want to jump off the PPTH?

"Do you want us to try and page him?" Nurse Brenda suggests.

Cuddy shakes her head. "He threw his pager off the roof."

"What the hell is going on?" Cameron exasperates.

000---000

Chase flops his head on his desk, trying to find one moment of peace, and not let the many dark thoughts swimming his head drown him.

He has convince the nurses in Geriatrics that he isn't suicidal, and just needs sometime to himself. They agreed to hold everyone off, and tell Cuddy that they haven't seen him, until he's ready.

Ready for what, he's not sure. He has a lot of things to figure out.

He remembers his and House's relationship between House firing him, and Cuddy rehiring him for the second team. Some of it was actually friendly. He enjoyed relating to him as a non- fellow.

Chase knew that when he took the team lead job, that his relationship with House would change again, but he didn't expect that their relationship regress back to square one?

As much as he expected something like this, he had hoped that he would be proven wrong. Maybe he had hoped for too much from House. He really should have known better. Shouldn't have deluded himself.

Chase continues banging his head lightly on the cool steel desk, when Cameron appears at the door's threshold.

"Hi." She says.

Chase lifts his head up. His blond hair falling in front of his eyes. He blows them out of the way to make sure he's seeing correctly.

"Hi," he answers guardedly. As glad as he is to see her, he can't help but remember their tiff in the locker room the night before.

"Cuddy told me about what happened with House." She looks at him, she can still feel last nights tension between them. "I wanted to see if you're okay."

Chase gives her a guarded smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, you've got the whole hospital worried about you."

"Just the whole hospital?"

Cameron looks at the cement floor. "I am too, of course."

"And last night?"

Cameron lets out a breath. "We can table that, _for now_."

Chase notices her stance. She's leaning on the door, with her arms cross, not quite looking into his eyes. She's still a little frosty from whatever she's mad about, but at least she's willing to put that aside, for his benefit.

"That's good to know," he says calmly.

Inwardly, he's jumping for joy. He didn't think he could handle another fight with her. Everything going wrong today is compounding into a severe migrane, and it isn't even noon yet.

"I wonder what crazy reason House is giving Cuddy right now to get out of trouble." He muses.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he's going to be living in the clinic for the next month."

Chase smirks. "That's good to know, but it doesn't seem like enough does it."

"How so."

"I don't know. Clinic doesn't seem like enough, how about bedpan duty for a week?"

"Like that would happen."

"Maybe I should suggest it? He'd probably think twice before messing with me again."

"Well, at least he did you a favor." Cameron adds.

Chase heart drops down to his stomach. The last thing he wants Cameron to do is try and defuse the situation.

"What he did was awful and sadistic," Chase asks coolly.

"I know, but you've been worried about how the new people would respond to House. Now, at least you'll know who can handle him. I heard nine people decided to stick it out."

"Why do you have do that?"

"Do what? I'm just trying to find the positive in this whole incident."

Chase gets up. He loosens his tie. Suddenly, this room is feeling a little suffocating.

"Can't I vent without you defending him?" he asks indignantly.

Cameron pouts. "I'm not defending him."

"You always defend him. But that's not the point."

"Then what is the point?"

Chase lets out a snort. "Forget it, I need a walk." He starts towards the door, and head down the hallway.

Cameron glares at his back. She calls out to him. "Fine then! Walk away! Go find her to talk to."

"Her?" Chase explodes. He marches his way back to Cameron, making her feel frighten at his outburst. "What are you talking about? He's undercutting my authority, Cameron! How are my fellows suppose to take me seriously, if House is cutting off my testicles in front of them, before I even hire them." He looks at her desperately, trying to find some kind of understanding.

Cameron looks at the ground, she doesn't know how to react to the revelation. She'd like to comfort him, but she's still stinging from the fight.

"You don't know if that is what he's trying to do. It could be House being House."

Chase looks at her incredulously. "So I should just let it be, then?" He turns away in disgust and jogs down the hallway disappearing around the corner.

000---000

Chase finds himself running down the halls of the hospital for the second time today. This time he has no destination. He finds it hard to breathe, like the walls are closing in on him. He sees a fire exit and dashes towards that direction.

000---000

Chase burst out of the hospital and into the daylight. He finds himself in an alleyway surrounded by dumpsters and a pile of hundreds of disregarded cardboard boxes. He bends low, hands on his knees, trying to support himself as gasps for air.

Suddenly, all his emotions surge through him. He can no longer contain them. He sees a small card board box by his feet, and launches it into the air with a soccer kick. He runs to the pile, and grabs a box, causing an avalanche of cardboard to come down on him. He jumps out of the way at the last second. He takes the box in his hand, and throws it to the ground. He kicks it and launches it across the alley. He sees another box on the ground. He stomps on it into oblivion, stomping all his pent up frustration in the process.

Once the box is flatten, Chase picks up another box. He turns around to fling it away, but stops short. The old hunchback is sitting by the stoop smoking a cigarette, watching him. Chase flushes in embarrassment, and drops the box.

000---000

Mr. Loomis, starts gathering the scattered boxes, and throws them in the compactor. Chase goes to help him. He tosses a box in the compactor.

"Don't worry about it, young doc," Mr. Loomis drawls.

"Yeah, but I made the mess."

"S'alright. I saw what the cripple doc did. Make me go bonkers too."

Chase blushes. He can't believe that he lost it, in such an undignified manner.

"Happens more often than you think." Mr. Loomis continues.

"What, doctor's stealing other doctor's interviews?"

"No, doctor's coming back here to let out their frustrations. Course it would happen a lot less if those kids would throw the boxes away, instead of piling them up like that."

Chase chuckles. He figures a lot of doctors would rather come out here and punch in a box, or bang on the dumpsters, instead the person their mad at.

They move into an easy silence as they toss the boxes into the compactor.

Chase finds himself at ease, single-mindedly concentrating on the task at hand.

"So what are you going to do?" Mr. Loomis asks.

"Bout what?"

"Dr. Cottage?"

"Dr. Cottage? You mean Dr. House?" Chase snickers.

"It's a building structure isn't it? I heard you tell him that you weren't going to take it in the arse anymore. What's an arse anyways?"

Chase grimaces, "Eh… donkey."

"Oh. You Brits sure have weird names for things."

Chase rolls his eyes. "I'm… oh never mind."

"So what are you going to do?"

Chase stops what he's doing, mid- toss. "I'm not sure. I don't even know why I took the job. I knew House was capable of pulling off something like this.

'Dr. Cuddy said that I could have my old surgeon job, if House did something insufferable. I think this qualifies."

The old janitor nods, in agreement. "Well then, you really should stop throwing out the trash. Wouldn't want to get those surgeon hands of yours scratched up now."

He takes the box away from Chase, who wipes the grime off his hands on Foreman's suit. Foreman's suit is too far gone by now, a little dirt won't make a difference. He grimaces as he thinks how much the flashy thing costs. He makes his way off the mountain of cardboard.

"You know, young man," Mr. Loomis calls out to him, "It's good that you're not letting him push you around, but you shouldn't let the man bully you out of something you want."

Chase tilts his head to the side absorbing the information. The janitor just turns around and continues tossing boxes, like he hadn't given him any advice at all.

Chase takes a pensive moment before making his way back into the hospital.

0000000---00000000

Next Chapter: Chase confronts House and Cuddy!

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Author' note: To the lucky few who got an special preview, I am aware that the scene doesn't appear in this chapter. It's going to be in the next chapter.

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Please R&R!


	15. Clarification

Hi everyone!

What's the worst thing for a writer? You're almost finished with a story, and the power goes out.

Yikes! I hate rain.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Everything was very encouraging. I've been working very hard on this little head ache, so I haven't had any time to respond to them, but I promise I will, along with a lovely bonus.

Disclaimer: Don't own House/ David Shore characters.

* * *

Clarification

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000---000

Chase waits in the vestibule outside of Cuddy's office. Cuddy's assistant had gone out to lunch before he arrived, and Cuddy's running around the hospital per usual.

He sits in the dark, and takes this time to gather his thoughts and prepare himself for what he has to do next.

000---000

After exerting himself on the boxes and releasing all that pent up aggression, Chase could finally think clearly. The quiet of Cuddy's office provided him with the most logical explanation for House's actions.

House didn't want another diagnostic team.

It is the only theory that makes sense. Cuddy hired him behind House's back, and House is lashing out in a way that would make him quit.

Chase is disappointed that House didn't tell him that he didn't want another team, but then again, that isn't really House's style. He can pull one of his stunts to get the same desired effect, the torture and angst are just an added bonus.

Going back to surgery is probably for the best. As much as he'd like to keep his job in diagnostics, Chase knew that House is relentless in getting what he wants. He'd only be fighting a losing battle, which would end in him losing his reputation, practice, and sanity.

The only thing that is really troubling Chase is why it took House a month and a half to pull something off. House isn't exactly known for his patience.

000---000

Footsteps coming towards him, interrupt his thoughts.

Cuddy's secretary and another assistant breeze into the room. They don't notice Chase sitting by the potted plant, by the door.

Cuddy's secretary rants, "I have so many expense forms to fill out by tonight, that I won't be able to get out of here until seven, and on top of that I have to reschedule those nine loons who still want the job."

"Is there still a job?" asks the assistant. "What House did..."

"If he had half a brain, he'd pack up that padded room he's in."

"Still I feel bad for Dr. Chase, after what House did to him..."

"You think after four years, he'd know better. You know something, he was the fifth doctor, Cuddy offered the job to. The other four had enough sense to stay away from House. Well I shouldn't say that. A couple of the guys actually accepted, but House railroaded them before the contracts were signed…"

Chase mouth drops open. Cuddy offered the job to four other people, and House stopped two of them from getting hired?

"… You know, I'd feel bad for Dr. Chase too, if he wasn't such an adulterous leach."

"Takes one, to know one."

Chase groans, finally realizing what Cameron was talking about last night.

The two woman share horrified looks. They turn around and see Chase sitting behind them. Guilt spreads across their faces.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," Chase says has he glares at them, "I'd like to know exactly who with, I'm having an affair."

000---000

Cuddy is surprised to find a brooding Chase waiting in her office.

"Your secretary let me in," he says as he sits in the chair in front of her desk facing forward.

"Dr. Chase, it's good to know that you're alright. The whole hospital has been paging you for the past two hours."

"Sorry lost my pager." Chase says coolly.

Cuddy feels uneasy as she sits in front of him. She studies him. He looks like he lost a fight. Which in a way he did. Chase's blond hair is standing in several different directions. Foreman's lilac suit has a large hole on the left knee, the cuffs of pants are completely shredded. There's a permanent sweat stain around the collar of the shirt. His tie is undone and hanging from his neck, and there are dirt streaks and dry sweat all over his face.

However, his demeanor is what's unnerving her. He's always been a bit reserved, and can be charming when he wants to, but the way he's sitting straight up in his chair. It's serious, business- like, like he's ready to take her on.

Two can play that game. She sits up on her desk, and leans forward presenting the classic figure of authority.

"Well you know, the gardener found a pager smashed on the pavement today. You wouldn't know anything about that?"

Chase remains silent.

"Well, we can't have you destroying hospital property, or failing to answer pages, there could have been an emergency."

"Why did you hire me?"

Cuddy blinks. "What?"

"Why did you hire me?" Chase asks, like he asked what she's doing for the weekend.

Cuddy rolls her eyes. Not this conversation again. "Because your were the best person for the job." She exasperates.

"You mean that I was the fifth best person for the job. You asked five other people before me. And I happen to know that one of them was Foreman. The other three have reputable names, so why hire me? My father's name can't carry that much weight."

"You were the only one willing to work with House." Cuddy says, trying to deflect this line of questioning.

"From what I hear, two people accepted the job," Chase continues to press, continuing his air of nonchalance. "but House railroaded them before they could start. Your secretary told me that you stopped searching altogether two months before you offered me the job, so why did you choose me?"

Cuddy lets out an exasperated breath. She is really sick of these questions. "Because House recommended you."

Chase's mouth drops open. That was the last thing Chase expected to hear.

"What?"

"Every candidate I brought in before you, He… threatened them, called their administrator, or got him a better job offer."

Chase sits there in stunned silence.

"Obviously, I'm not suppose to tell you that. I figured that if House recommended someone, than he wouldn't be sandbagging you, like the other three."

Cuddy shakes her head. "Little did I know he just decided to switch tactics. I guess, you're here to get your old job back. I wish you'd reconsider, the board is really pushing to have two diagnostics teams."

Chase takes a moment. If what she's saying about House is true, than he certainly use it to his advantage. However, he needs real confirmation.

"I'll consider it on a few conditions."

000---000

Chase looks horrified as he watches the cell phone video of his and Cameron's fight.

"Nice digs."

Chase looks up from his desk, to see House in the doorway.

He slams his lap top shut. "Can I help you with something?"

House walks casually in, his cane pounding on the cement. He sees the folded aluminum chair in front of the desk, but decides to just stand by it. "Just wanted to check out the neighborhood."

A senile old man pushing a walker, whizzes by the door, with the back of his hospital gown completely open.

"Looks a bit rough."

"That's why I carry a taser." Chase takes out an empty box, and places it on top of his desk. He starts packing up his office supplies.

"Looks like it didn't work." House points out Chase's shambled appearance.

Two orderlies run pass the office, they return a few moments later, escorting the old man and holding the back of his gown close.

"You should check out the rec room in Geriatrics, someone just donated a Wii. They like the boxing program best."

"So, you got attacked by a decrepit old man then," House says wittily, but Chase ignores him, placing medical reference books in his boxes. House looks at him frustratingly. "Cuddy told me that you quit."

"That's right." Chase says, continuing to pack.

"I never figured you for a quitter."

"First time for everything. I'm going back to surgery."

Chase goes into his drawer and pulls out two coffee mugs to put into his box.

"Cuddy thinks that if I apologize for today, you'll stay in Diagnostics."

"That's alright. It's not worth much if you don't mean it."

"That's true." House eyes Chase suspiciously. He's wondering where this is all going. However it's hard to read Chase when he keeps ducking under his line of vision, into the desk's drawers and placing things in his boxes.

"Besides, I know why you did it."

That catches House's interest. "You do, huh?"

"You don't want another team. The board kept pushing Cuddy for the second team they funded, and you wanted it to stop. So when she hired me, and you waited for your opportunity to show her that having another team is a really bad idea, for everyone involved.

'So, I'm going back to surgery, and you can go back to having your lackey's blackmail me into doing dangerous procedures." Chase places a tennis ball in his box.

"Stop being self- effacing it isn't a good look for you." House says evenly.

Chase looks up at House expectantly. "Why are you here House?"

"Like I said, checking out the scenery."

They both look up at the window with the grate covering it. Only a brick wall can be seen through the glass.

Chase turns back to House. "That's what I'm going to miss the most. And getting hypothermia."

Chase pulls his scarf tighter around him and goes back to packing.

House shivers too. Wilson was being literally when he said that Chase's office is in Siberia. Dark, isolated, and bitterly cold. He's going to have to get this business over with quickly.

"You know," House looks at the ground shuffling his feet. "Cuddy still has her busty little blouse set on having a new diagnostics team. You might as well lead it."

_There that should be enough for Chase. _House thinks

Chase looks up at the ceiling, like he's considering it.

"Yeah, but I meant what I said, I'm not going to take it in the arse anymore." He gives House a cheeky smile and goes back to packing.

House glares back at the top of Chase's head. This is going to be harder than he thought, but he's determined to leave this office with his dignity. He takes a seat, laying back as far as the uncomfortable aluminum will let him.

House sneers, "All you be doing in surgery is performing appendectomies. That hack surgical chief plays favorites."

"Yeah, but at least I know he's not going to change my scalpels for steak knives."

House rolls his eyes. "I wasn't trying to run you out. I was trying to help, scouts honor." House holds up his left hand like a boy scout. "I was just over- seeing your progress."

Chase quickly notes that House held up the wrong hand, and glares at him. "That's comforting."

"I don't see what you're crying about," House says indignantly. "Those schmucks weren't worth the crayon they used to draw their CV's with."

Chase gives him a serious look. "It wasn't your call to make."

"Just offering my bountiful expertise in picking fellows."

"Right didn't you have four years, in which, you couldn't keep a fellow longer than two months?"

"Yeah, so I know how pick a schmuck when I see one."

Chase rolls his eyes. "So you're trying to help me?"

"That's right."

"Just like how Cuddy helps you. No thanks, I already have one demanding woman in my life, and her perks are better."

"Did you just call me a girl, and Cuddy?" asks incredulously.

Chase looks at House gravely, "Cuddy helps you, because she wants to control you, she doesn't trust you. If you didn't want to run me out, than you want to control me, you don't think I can do this."

"I don't care who you pick. House says flatly. He taps his cane on the top of Chase's desk, "Besides, haven't you learned anything. It shouldn't matter what I think."

"You're right." Chase stands up and looks at House straight in the eye. "I don't care if you think I'm going to be a natural disaster at running my own team. What I care about, is you making it impossible for me to have my own team. If today is any indication of how you're going to act tomorrow, I'll pass." He sits back down and takes an abacus out of his drawer and places it in the box.

House frowns. Chase is making very good points.

"I thought you wanted this job." House, asks evenly.

"I do."

"Then why are acting all pissy?"

Chase lets out a sigh. "Because I'm not Cuddy and I'm not Wilson. Because leading a bunch of doctors is going to be hard enough without you jumping out from underneath the exam table. Because I'm not your fellow anymore, and I can't have you messing things up for me, all the time."

Finally, it dawns on House what Chase wants from him.

"You're right!" House says suddenly, in an almost gleeful manner.

Chase looks at House shocked, he nearly drops the glass paper weight in his hand.

"I was trying to run you out. But that's more Cuddy's fault that yours. I'll make her life hell. Well, more than I do already. Mess with a few board members, anonymously, of course."

"Of course," Chase says carefully, a little confused.

"So… do you want dinner?"

"What?"

"Cameron wanted dinner. Do you want dinner too? How about a movie, no artsy foreign films?"

Chase smiles, understanding the reference. "How about a nicer chair."

"What's wrong with that one?" Pointing the green one in the corner.

"It nearly cracked Wilson's skull."

"Right, we'll switch." House grabs the chair, and starts wheeling it out the door. "I'll send Lou, with a chair tomorrow."

"Who's Lou?"

"The night janitor."

Chase scratches his head. House notices that he's holding a ping pong paddle in his hand.

He takes an inventory of the boxes on Chase's desk. A few folders, suduko books, a rubrics cube, a slinky, and a plush stuffed anteater.

"How much stuff can you possibly have in your desk?" He asks incredulously.

He goes around to the other side of Chase's desk, and a box on the ground full of little knick knacks.

"You little fink! You wanted me to do this!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I guess this means I can unpack then." Chase looks at House innocently.

"Yeah," House says with mock begrudging.

"You'll bother Cuddy, no me?"

"Cuddy's more fun anyways." House takes out of his pocket a dry erase marker, and tosses it to Chase. "Here, a house warming gift."

000---000

House passes by Wilson as he wheels the evil green chair through the halls of the Shelly Wing.

"Did you talk to Chase?" Wilson asks.

"Yeah," House says as he walks pass Wilson, who immediately turns around and follows him. "I stopped him from slitting his wrist, but he's damning America, and moving back to England…"

"House…"

"He's debating whether or not to take Cameron or the mistress…"

"House…"

"I say dump both and take Cuddy. I think Europe will open up the cougar in her."

"House I'm serious! What happened?"

"What does it matter, tell Cuddy the kid's staying."

"He told her he'd stay if you apologize, did you actually apologize?"

House stops suddenly, causing Wilson to run into his back.

"Well played, Chase." House thinks to himself. He continues pushing the chair. "Of course not, we worked out a deal."

"Is it better than the two percent pay raise, parking spot, and space heater he got out of Cuddy?"

House chuckles. "Yeah." Wilson looks at him curiously. "So, what punishment has Cuddy cooked up for me this time?"

000---000

Chase exits the hospital with a clean pair of surgical scrubs.

000---000

Foreman nearly had a brain aneurysm, when Chase presented him with his lilac suit, after he took a shower. He managed to keep Foreman from throwing a left hook, when he told him that Cuddy promised to buy him a new suit.

Now, if he could only patch things up with Cameron. At least, now he know why she's mad at him. Though part of him is pissed that she keeps seeing the worst in him.

000---000

Despite the day he's having, Chase feels slightly invigorated. He's actually looking forward to interviewing.

Chase hears a clap of thunder over head. Rain comes pouring down on him.

Chase groans, his leather jacket is going to be ruined.

"Don't jump! Whatever it is, it isn't worth it!"

Chase frowns. He turns around to come face to face with a big red umbrella.

The umbrella lifts up to reveal Rebecca smirking at him.

"Glad to see your still with us," she says teasingly.

Chase scowls, still not finding the humor in the situation.

"Oh come on, don't be such a sourpuss."

"The whole hospital doesn't think you're on a twenty four hour psych hold."

Rebecca waves him away, "Most people think your dead and buried by now anyways. Besides, they've moved on to what kind of S&M Dr. House and Dr. Cuddy are going to get into, for punishment for what he did to you today."

"That's a nasty image." Chase cringes. They both chuckle.

"Get over here! You're getting soaked!" She raises her umbrella so that he can be underneath it.

"Where are you headed?"

"The bus stop."

"Why?"

"Carpooling problems," he say dryly.

"Does this have anything to do with a youtube link I saw?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay," she replies. They stand in awkward silence under the umbrella. "So… I hear you're staying in Diagnostics."

"Yeah."

"Brave man."

"I guess."

She looks at him curiosity bubbling to the surface. "I'm sorry, I don't get it. Did Cuddy offer you her first born or something?"

Chase chuckles, "No."

"Then why? I know he's brilliant, but how can you work for him?"

Chase frowns, and steps out from underneath them umbrella. He doesn't like being judged by people. Rebecca looks at him expectantly.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Enlighten me." Chase looks at her. There is a lot of sincerity in how she asked him. She really wants to know what's going through his mind.

"He came to my office. He asked me to dinner."

"Okay?" she replies, like she's talking to a crazy person.

Chase realized what that sounds like, "It means he wants me to stay. He fought for me to stay. House's a selfish bastard. He doesn't fight for people."

"But what about today? Why did he do it?"

"Doesn't matter." Chase answers confidently.

"It doesn't?" she asks surprised.

"What matters is that he promised to stop messing with me, kind of."

"You think he'll keep that promise?"

Chase takes a deep breath. "Long enough."

Rebecca smiles at him, still confused. "For what?"

"To give me a chance," he tells her.

Rebecca shrugs. "Still a little confused, but I understand him fighting for you." They nod to each other. She receives him back underneath the umbrella. "Where do you live?"

"By the library, why?"

"My ride is picking me up soon, we could drop you off. Give you a chance to change your clothes."

"Alright."

* * *

Next Chapter: Chase actually interviews!

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Author's note: I added the last scene, because everything in Chase and House's seen had a double meaning. Did I need it?

000---000

Trivia: There are several references to things that happened on House episodes? Can you find them?

Tell me what they are, and you'll get a special deleted scene: House greets the interviewee's as Dr. Robert Chase.

Or you can just R&R. Love the feed back!


	16. More than Meets the Eye

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since I've updated, so here's a special two chapter update! I hope everyone enjoys!

P.S. Answer to last chapter's trivia:

House asking Chase if he wanted dinner, referenced Cameron wanting a date in order for her to come back to the team.

The ping pong paddle is from Human Error. It's in the scene when Chase tells Cameron and Foreman House fired him. Plenty of people from televisionwithoutpity boards were greatly amused that Chase kept a ping pong paddle in his locker.

Rebecca asking whether Cuddy offered him her firstborn to stay, is referencing last season's arc of Cuddy wanting a baby, that has seem to be completely dropped this year. I'm really surprised no one got that one.

Disclaimer: Don't own House, all original characters are mine!

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More Than Meets the Eye

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Cameron is surprised to find Chase waiting for her when she arrives at their apartment.

He rises from the couch looking at her expectantly.

She keeps her head down, avoiding his gaze. She puts down her things and goes to the kitchen.

She goes to the sink and pours herself a glass of water. When she turns around, she sees Chase waiting by the doorway.

"Why do you think I'm cheating on you?" he asks.

Cameron lets out a sigh. She keeps her back to him, no wanting to face him at the moment.

"I'm not, just so we're clear," he continues.

"Where did you hear that?" she asks.

"Gossipy nurses…well, assistants."

"Who's R?" She finally says.

Chase rolls his eyes. "Cameron, not this again."

Cameron faces him, her eyes blazing. "You called me, Cameron."

"So?" He looks at her questioningly.

"You…" she starts to blather, but quickly recovers, "I found this note." She takes the infamous post it out of her pocket, "and I saw you being friendly with one of the new clinic doctors…"

Chase looks at the note and gives Cameron a quizzical look, "Rebecca?"

"That starts with an R."

"_Dr. Valera_ and I, we're just… friends," Chase starts to say lightly, but then feels flustered under Cameron's accusatory eyes. "We just met a few weeks ago. She borrowed my scarf when she was in my office… you've been in there, it's freezing… we were just discussing a case, the man with Hot Tub Folliculitis…"

"Why didn't you mention her?" Cameron interrupts.

Chase looks stunned, "I didn't think to…"

"Then, why did you feel the need to justify your relationship?"

"To assure you that nothing's going on," Chase says, starting to feel frustrated. He didn't do anything wrong. Why is Cameron trying to make him feel guilty for something he didn't do.

"Then why is she a secret?" Cameron continues to press.

"She's not a secret!" Chase exclaims.

Cameron crosses her arms. "Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't know, I honestly, didn't think of it."

"Sure you didn't," Cameron says sarcastically.

"Cameron! Don't be like that. With everything that's going on, meeting someone new is hardly headline news." Cameron continues to glare at him.

Chase lets out an exasperated breath. He runs his fingers through his hair.

"Why don't you trust me?"

"What?"

"If you don't believe me when I say that nothing's going on, then why don't you trust me?"

"It's not that I don't trust you."

"Then, what is it? Do you really think I'm sleeping with someone else?"

Cameron turns away from him.

"There's a reason for everything," she says quietly. Cameron turns away from him. Tears are starting to well up in her eyes.

"I don't think you're sleeping around," she states, firmly.

Chase just stares at her back. He's confused. Though, he's grateful for her admission, somehow, he still feels the matter is unsettled.

"Some friends… Rebecca… invited me to dinner, want to come with?"

Cameron keeps her back to him, and pours herself more water from the faucet. "No, I'm tired. Maybe next time."

"Okay," he looks at her back with concern, "I'll see you later."

Cameron breaks down over the sink, when she hears the door slam.

000---000

Chase walks through the sliding glass doors of the PPTH. He walks through the lobby, purposefully looking at the entrance to the ER, as he walks by, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cameron.

He doesn't know why, but Cameron was not in their apartment when he came back from dinner.

"Chase!"

Chase continues walking down the hall towards his office in the Shelly Wing.

"Chase!"

Wilson jogs to catch to him.

"Wait up!"

Chase finally stops. "Hi," he says bleakly.

"You look nice." Wilson says, taking stock of Chase's appearance.

"Yeah, went shopping," Chase replies dryly.

He is wearing an actual suit today, rather than his usual jeans, button up, tie, and blazer get up that is his uniform, The colors are actually complementary to each other. It isn't flashy, like the lilac thing Chase borrowed from Foreman. The navy suit, and aqua tie that matched his eyes, that Wilson is certain that someone picked out for him, make him look quite sharp.

"You ready for today? Do you know what you're going to ask?"

Chase takes a moment to think. He certainly felt anxious, but it is a different kind of anxious. Yesterday, he felt all kinds of dread about interviewing, now he can't wait to get to started. If anything, he welcomed the distraction from whatever drama him and Cameron are going through, and hopefully, he could pick a new team, before House got bored of pestering Cuddy and went back to torturing him.

He gives Wilson a wry smile, "I think I have an idea."

"I didn't get a chance to talk to you after what House did yesterday,"

Chase looks over Wilson's shoulder to see Cameron chatting at the other end of the hall with the handsome French exchange surgeon. His blood turns cold.

He says to Wilson darkly, "Wilson, House isn't even on the top five of problems, that I'm having."

Chase quickens his pace down the hall, leaving a very confused looking Wilson behind.

000---000

Chase walks into his office to find a nice computer chair with a big red bow on top.

At first, Chase is confused. _What is that thing doing there?_

Then, he remembers the deal he made with House the night before.

_Did House actually get him a new chair? _

Chase approaches it warily. It could be just another joke. There's no telling with House, or furniture in the PPTH.

He examines it carefully. It is a simple, sleek computer chair, much less grandiose than the high end leather ones he'd find in the office of heads of departments, but all Chase wanted is a chair that wouldn't throw him onto the cold cement floor.

He sits on it carefully. Leaning back, bouncing on it a little, making sure it is sturdy. He gives the chair a spin for good measure. It impresses him that House actually got him a chair that doesn't malfunction.

He hears a light knocking at the door.

Chase turns to see the tall candidate who ran out of House's conference room, yesterday. Chase is surprised to see him. He had figured that at the speed the man was running, down the hall, he would be in Oklahoma by now.

Chase slightly blushes, thinking that he probably looks silly spinning around in his chair like an eight year old.

"Dr. Chase, Stan Wildman," the man introduces himself, with a pleasant smile. He holds out his hand for Chase to shake it.

Chase gets up and takes his hand. He looks up at the man who's a whole head taller than him.

Wildman's six foot five frame and toned body would be an intimidating presence, if his hazel eyes didn't give off such a gentile look.

"It's nice to finally meet the real Dr. Chase" Wildman continues. Chase is surprised to find no judgment in his eyes, but amusement. "I hope."

"Want to see my ID?" Chase asks.

"Nah, I figure another purple doctor will be wanting knock the door over, if you're not him." Chase had to grin. _A sense of humor is a plus. When dealing with House, at least._

"I like to try out my gifts too," Wildman says as he sits down on the aluminum one on the other side of Chase's desk.

"Gift?" Chase asks.

Wildman points to the red ribbon discarded in the corner.

Chase nods. _The man's perceptive, another positive note. _

"So what did you think of yesterday?"

"Kind of strange."

"But what was your reaction?"

"Amused."

Chase tilts his head to the side, in interest.

"With a head of a department like that, this must be one interesting place to work."

"Dr. House didn't scare you?"

Wildman shrugged. "I've worked for eccentric personalities before."

"That's a nice way of putting it. I doubt you've worked for anyone that's as eccentric as House."

"I don't know. Football coaches, can be pretty eccentric, especially when they are trying to motivate their team."

"House wasn't trying to motivate," Chase says eyeing Wildman's expression carefully.

"Oh," Wildman simply shrugs. He looks at Chase with a somewhat blank, but warm face.

Chase isn't sure what to make of that reaction. Either this man is really easy going, or really dense.

He takes a look at the notes he made on Wildman's CV. There are a lot of issues he wants to address.

"According to your file, you specialized in dermatology."

"Yes."

"Why the switch? From your file, your training mostly dealt with adolescent skin care."

"I chose dermatology, because I was going to get married, and needed a specialty that was lucrative, but not as 'time consuming," Wildman replied rather frankly. "When that didn't work out..." Chase couldn't help but hear the wistfulness in Stan's voice that crept through the veneer. "I decided to be selfish. I wanted to pursue a path that was more enlightening, challenging."

Chase keeps his face neutral. "You spent sometime in endocrinology, rheumatology, and cardiology medicine. How come you didn't pursue one of those specialties?"

"None of them seemed like the right fit," Wildman says with an unapologetic shrug. "I was curious about those specialties, but I didn't feel I could make any of them a career."

"You just finished the University of Arizona, Integrative Medicine program. What was that like?"

"It was certainly the most stimulating of the specialties I explored. I know most doctors think alternative medicine are full of quacks, but that's a really close- minded point of view. Some cases require a different perspective, or out of the box thinking in order to get the job done.

Chase just nods. The man's honesty confounded him. Wildman is too old to be this bright- eyed person in front of him, or is he? If anything, Stan Wildman would make an intriguing fellow.

000---000

Foreman finds Cameron in the doctor's lounge hovering over the coffeemaker and rubbing her forehead.

"So are you finally going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Cameron asks sourly.

"What's going on between you and Chase." Foreman crosses his arms.

"What makes you say that?"

"You call me of all people, to get drunk off your ass with, and there's nothing going on between you and Chase."

"It was either you or Wilson," Cameron says, bitterly, "and I figured that you wouldn't ask any questions."

"Normally I wouldn't care," Foreman says calmly, "but that ship sailed when you begged me not to take you home, and I had to carry you to my sofa."

Cameron blushes. Her actions the night before were worst than her meth incident. At least, her actions, though misguided, were in her control. She can't even quite remember the mess she was the night before. If the pounding in her head is any indication, she was not on her best behavior.

"I didn't hit on you did I?"

"No, but you got in a fight with some sorority girl over whether or not Coffee was better than Starbucks. "

"Well if that's all," Cameron says haughtily and starts to walk away.

"Who's Joe?"

Cameron stops dead in her tracks. Her face pales.

"What did I say about him?"

"Something about hoping that Rebecca isn't a Joe… other things I didn't quite understand. Who's Rebecca by the way."

"It's probably best that you don't." Cameron says, relieved that she didn't reveal the significance of Joe, her late husband's best friend to Foreman.

Foreman shakes his head. "I called Chase."

Cameron looks at him shocked. "Why did you do that?"

"He called your cell thirty- three times trying to figure out where you were."

Cameron looks down at the floor.

"I told him that you were staying at my place, and it would be for the best if he didn't pick you up."

Cameron looks up at Foreman, who looked at her with such concern, that one would think that they are actual friends.

"I don't think he's cheating on you," says Foreman encouragingly. "He was so worried about you he called House. That's the last person in the world he would want to know, that the two of your are having.. issues."

Cameron gives Foreman a stony glare. "Cheating isn't always, physical… I should know," she says quietly, and walks out of the room.

000---000

Chase starts to lock up his office after a long day of interviewing. He's relieved that it is over. Now all he has to do is pick three fellows. Which is going to be hard. He found that he liked five people that interviewed, but there's no way to know how he's going to work with any of them.

Chase fiddles with his door a few minutes, before realizing that the lock doesn't even work.

_Just another thing, I'm going to need to ask Cuddy for.._

"Excuse me," a voice behind him asks. "Can you tell me where Dr. Chase's office is?"

Chase turns around to see a brunette man with freckles across his nose, in an expensive suit.

"I'm Dr. Chase, can I help you?"

"You're Dr. Chase?" the man practically snorts.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm Dr. Wendell Westphall. We have an interview scheduled for five thirty."

000---000

Dr. Chase goes through the CV's on his desk. He can't seem to find Dr. Westphall's.

Westphall just sits on the aluminum chair with his legs crossed, hands in his lap, and a particularly pompous expression on his face.

"I don't see your resume here."

"Well, I did bring a copy for you." Westphall hands him his CV.

Chase peruses through it. Nothing on this resume looks familiar.

"So, Dr. Westphall, what did you think of yesterday?"

"Yesterday?"

"Yes, with Dr. House."

"I'm not sure what you mean. My appointment was scheduled for today, with you." Westphall says, like Chase is retarded.

Chase is confused. He thinks that this interview is getting very suspicious, but there must be a reason why he scheduled the man for an interview.

"So what interested you in this job?"

"Well, my father is Leonard Westphall, the geneticist, you might have read his book…"

Chase, raised his eyebrows, name dropping is not a good sign.

"he's an alumnus here, and he thought that his fellowship would benefit my career."

"In what way?"

Westphall looks perplexed.

"Do you think that this fellowship would benefit your career?" Chase clarifies.

"Well, there's the prestige, and I would like to have an opportunity with working with a program that is in the forefront of diagnostic medicine."

_Forefront?_ Chase couldn't help but think that Westphall's answers sounded a bit rehearse and disingenuous.

"Well being in diagnostics does involve innovative thinking, when it comes to diagnosing and treating a patient. What do you have to offer, that sets you apart from other doctors,"

"Well, I graduated top of my class at Yale Med School, I did my specialty training with Dr. Oberman at Baylor…"

Chase raises his hand, indicating for Westphall to stop. He looks slightly irked at being interrupted

"Dr. Westphall, I can read. The other candidates have impressive CV's as well."

"Yes, but do they have a recommendation from the director of stem cell research at the Burnham Institute."

"But you never worked at the Burnham institute."

"But I know him." Westphall says, thinking that qualifies as an acceptable answer.

Chase fights the urge to start banging his head on the desk.

000---000

Cuddy once more finds Chase waiting inside her office.

"Dr. Chase, you're going to have to start using the waiting room."

Chase refuses to humor her. "Why did you slip Wendell Westphall into my interview list?"

"What makes you say that?" Cuddy asks.

"I can count to ten, you know. Your secretary said that nine people decided to interview after what happened with House yesterday. I interviewed ten people today."

"I read his resume, and I thought that he would be a nice addition to the hospital. and to your team," Cuddy says innocently.

"You knew his father. The man acted like an entitled ass, who thought that having a famous father, was all the credentials he needed to getting a job.

"Your father is, Rowan Chase," Cuddy counters.

"I'd really wish people would forget that," Chase muttered, surprising Cuddy. "At least I don't go around flouncing his name, all over the place, like it means something about me." He looks at Cuddy seriously. "I know that, it was because of my name that you forced House to interview me. But if I had acted like he did, House would have thrown me out on my ear."

"Fair enough, so he didn't work out. I don't get why this has to be a big issue."

"Why did you feel the need to deceive me?"

"I wasn't deceiving you. I just forgot to tell you about it."

Both Chase and Cuddy knew that Chase wasn't buying her excuse.

Chase sits back in his chair. "I'm not House, you know. You don't have to treat me like you treat him."

"I don't think you're House."

"Then why didn't you just asks me?"

Cuddy didn't have an answer for him.

"Did you really think I wouldn't do the right thing?" Chase asks sounding rather hurt.

Cuddy couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, that maybe she made a misstep with her subordinate.

"Of course, I trust you," says Cuddy.

"Cause it's just as bad if the Dean of Medicine thinks she you're incompetent, as much as the department head."

"Chase, I trust you," Cuddy says more firmly.

"Do you trust me to make the best decision for choosing the right people for my team?"

Cuddy sits a little straighter.

"Yes," she says carefully.

"Then, neither, you or House can fire anyone I hire."

The hairs on the back of Cuddy's neck. "Within reason."

"I'm not going to hire anyone who isn't unqualified."

"Of course."

"Than what's to worry about?" Says Chase keeping an impassive expression.

"I'm not planning on firing anyone."

"Good to know." Chase leaves not even waiting for Cuddy to dismiss him.

Cuddy frowns. Why is it that every time she talks to Chase lately, she seems to be conceding something?

0000000---000000

Next Chapter: Chase has a donation of twenty thousand dollars. What's he going to do with it?

Whatever it is, it's not going to please Cuddy.


	17. The Quintet

I originally deleted the flashback scene back in Chapter 11, but I loved so much that I gave it as a reward to people who reviewed. Someone said that I should have put it in the story, so I've inserted and extended it here.

Hope everyone enjoys!

Disclaimer: Don't own House, blah, blah.

0000000---0000000

The Quintet

0000000---0000000

"You've got to be kidding me!" Dr. Logan Ross exclaims as he opens the door to find another cramped room filled with people.

"It's not so bad. Less people this time," Stan Wildman says brightly, noting that there are only five people standing in the ten by ten cell, that is Dr. Chase's office.

"Not again," Logan starts to pout, remembering his first day at the PPTH.

000---000

_Three days earlier…_

Logan Ross swings the door to the Diagnostics conference room, sighing with relief that he made it in time.

His taxi driver got lost on his way here, and he had to run through the confusing glass walls of the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.

He looks into the room and stops dead in his tracks. Inside are about twenty other well dressed people. They all turn to look at him expectantly.

"Is this diagnostics?" he asks. The room collectively rolled their eyes, clearly disappointed that no one coming through the door had any answers for their puzzling situation. They promptly ignore the newcomer and continue talking to each other about their predicament.

Ross stands there rather dumbly, unsure of what to do. He didn't even bother to move from the doorway.

Something smashes into him. He feels himself beginning to fall over, but someone grabs his arm, helping him steady himself as he tries to regain his footing.

"Sorry man, didn't see you there." Ross turns around and looks up to see the very tall mass of man that bumped into him. The man smiles at him apologetically.

"My fault," Ross says, as he backs away from the man, straightening his suit.

"Are you Dr. Chase?" a pretty blond woman asks.

"I'm Stan Wildman," he responds a warily, as he looks at the groups grim expressions.

The group collectively groans, and turns away from the man.

"Nice to meet all of you too," Wildman says dryly. He shrugs at Ross and makes his way into the cramped room. Ross follows him.

000---000

The group have been staring at each other for past twelve minutes. Everyone is bored with speculating about what the hell is going on.

If there are going to be any interviews, their interviewer is thirty minutes late.

Ross looks over to Wildman, who has fallen asleep. He's leaning back on his chair, mouth hanging open. A few people in the group giggle, happy that they have something to talk about, other than their confusing situation. Ross shoots him a disapproving look. How can anyone sleep at a time like this?

The door swings open. A red- headed leprechaun of a man pops his head into the room.

"Are you Dr. Chase?" an Indian woman asks.

"Turner." The Indian woman pouts in response. "What are you doing here?" he asks, suspiciously.

"Interviewing for the diagnostic fellowship," Ross answers.

"Why here…" A hand grabs Turner by the shirt collar, and yanks him back into the hall. The door slams shut behind him.

The group looks at each other, curiously. They make their way to the door. Through the glass, they see an older gentleman points pointing Turner away from the conference room, like a high school principal. Turner sulks away looking disconcerted.

The man turns to the door, and puts a crazed smile on his face.

The group quickly backs away from it.

"Good'ay mates!" he greets them. Wildman jerks himself awake by the sudden out burst.

The room quickly hushed. The confused candidates eye warily the man with a cane who walked into the room sounding like Steve Irwin.

"Crickey, I haven't seen a blooming bunch of wombats in my life."

The well- dressed group look around at each other, puzzled. Is that English?

"And who, my I asks, are you?" A pretty blond doctor asks in a deep Southern drawl.

"I'm Dr. Chase."

The room remained silent. The man before them is wearing jeans, a vintage rock T-shirt, and a sports coat. His five o' clock shadow and lack of lab coat made him look like no doctor either of them has ever met before.

"And you are?" Dr. Chase asks the young blond leering at her a little bit.

She blushes uncomfortably. "Dr. Britney Honeycutt."

"Nope you're numba one," Dr. Chase announces gleefully. Ross thinks he heard a break in the accent for a moment as "Dr. Chase" drops a name tag, with the number 1 on it, in Honeycutt's lap, and hands the rest of them, to the Asian man standing next to her.

Dr. Chase locks the door to the conference room, getting frightened looks from some of the doctors.

"Don't want anyone interrupting." Dr. Chase drawls. He walks through the crowd to the other side of the conference room and opens the door to the office.

"Oy, no dawdling, number one. Time ta interview." He opens the door waiting for the blond to enter.

Honeycutt holds her name tag up in front of her wondering what to do with it. She puts it down, and looks up finally noticing that everyone is looking at her funny. She looks down at the board, and realizes that she's number one.

House chuckles as he watches the blond take her nametag and put it over the neck of the man in thick glasses next to her, nearly choking him.

He would have preferred the blond first, but the nerd would do.

"Come on new number one," he calls to the man in glasses. "Time to bite the bullet."

The nerd stands up, he walks towards the office door like he's going to his execution. With the day they are all having, he might as well have.

The group looks around at each other.

"I had no idea Dr. Chase is so…" Ross begins.

"Old!" The Indian woman exclaims.

They all look at her questioningly.

"Unless I researched the wrong Dr. Chase, I was lead to believe that the Chase leading this diagnostics team, was the son of Rowan Chase."

"So?" Honeycutt asks.

"He's in his thirties! That man looked old enough to be Rowan Chase."

"Didn't Rowan Chase pass away a couple of years ago?" Wildman says, off- handedly. "Do you think we could use the restroom?"

Everyone just stares at this guy. Is he serious?

"Dr. Chase" pops his head into the conference room.

"Oy, you drongos! No talking or ya fired!" he shouts.

"But we haven't been hired yet," Wildman says, earning him a "shh" from the whole group. Wildman crosses his arms over his chest begrudgingly.

"You will be if you open your traps." Dr. Chase announces, and slams the door shut.

000---000

The group watches through the glass as the third interviewee sprints down the hall, trying to get as far away from the office as fast as possible.

They are all very impressed by the speed the red head exhibited in her stilettos. The Indian woman, Dr. Asha Anjali is with "Dr. Chase" now.

Everyone is thinking the exact same thing at the moment. "What the hell is 'Dr. Chase' asking everyone?"

Wildman approaches the Latino doctor, Nicholas Luna, wearing the number five tag.

"Can I trade you?" He asks, "I'm going to have to take a leak in that potted plant soon."

Ross couldn't take anymore of Wildman's dopey attitude. "What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How can you think about going to the bathroom at a time like this?"

"My bladder, sends signals to my brain. Says, 'you're full, must expel waste.'" Wildman says in a light, but condescending manner.

Ross literally growls at him.

Luna gets in between the two of them. "Can everyone just calm down? Maybe there's a reason for all of this."

Everyone looks worriedly at the two men. Ross looks ready to pounce on the relaxed six foot five man, but Wildman acts completely the opposite of his name, as he looks at Ross like he's out of his mind.

"Who's the purple guy?" Honeycutt asks, interrupting the tension in the room.

They look through the glass door to see a young man wearing a lilac shirt running towards them. He slips on the floor and slides to the door.

He tries opening the door without success. Wildman goes to open the door for him, but he finds that the door is locked from the inside as well. He gives everyone a panicked look.

The purple guy runs to the outside of the office and starts pounding on the door.

"House! You can't hijack my interviews!" he shouts.

"House?"

An alarmed murmur goes through the room.

"Isn't House the head of the department!" someone says

"What's going on here!"

"Is this a real interview? Dr. Curtis warned me about this place."

The group is starting to uproar.

"There he goes again," Honeycutt says, as the watch the purple guy run past them one more time.

000---000

"Maybe we should throw a chair at the door," someone suggests.

"Right, because that's the best way to get a job. Property damage." Nicholas Luna deadpans.

Suddenly the balcony door slams open.

They all turn to see a crazed looking purple guy entering the room, frightening all of them.

The group immediately parts, making a path for the man to walk straight to the office door.

000---000

The group looks expectantly at Dr. Anjali as she exits the office.

"Who's the purple guy?"

Looking a bit shell shocked, she says, "I think that's the real Dr. Chase."

000---000

_Present Day_

"This has got to be a joke," Ross says, looking around at the other people in the room with him.

"I assure it is not."

Ross turns around to find Dr. Chase standing behind him.

"Follow me."

The quintet look at each other dumbly, before rushing out into the hall to follow Dr. Chase.

000---000

"Consider this your second interview," Chase says as he rounds the corner, the other doctors trailing behind him.

"Since we don't have any patients, we're going down to the clinic."

Chase makes a dead stop and turns around suddenly, causing the shorter doctors to walk into Wildman's back.

"I want to make myself very clear. This is not a game. I'm not judging you by whoever gets the most right answers, or who can jump through the most hoops. I'm assessing your skills as doctors the only way I know how."

000---000

Wilson's mouth drops when he sees Chase stride into clinic followed by five doctors in lab coats.

In fact, a lot of the doctors and nurses stop and stare at the newest sight in the PPTH.

Dr. Valera, whom he had been talking to earlier, giggles next to him.

"That's quite a basketball team you got there, Rob," she calls out to him. Chase walks up to them, and smiles impishly.

"Chase, what do you think you're doing?" asks a stunned Wilson.

"Looking for a patient."

Rebecca looks at the patient rack, and grabs the folder she's looking for. "I've got one for you. Exam room four."

Chase takes the folder, and he and the quintet walk into the exam room.

"Which patient did you give him?" Wilson asks.

"Mrs. Devereux." she says with a mischievous smile.

Wilson scratches his head, "Cuddy is not going to be pleased."

000---000

"Why am I doing all of the exam?" Anjali asks as she exams the sixty year old woman lymph nodes.

"Because you haven't examined a patient since medical school," Chase states simply.

Anjali frowns, she can feel every eye in the eye in the room scrutinizing her every move, it's causing her to feel a bit claustrophobic.

She rolls her neck to get the crick out, and focuses on the task at hand. She isn't going to let a little think like doing lab work for four years get in the way of getting this job.

Rebecca walks into the room, and leans against the counter.

"Dr. Valera, what are you doing here?" Chase asks.

"Just observing." She answers simply. Chase narrows his eyes at her, before return his attention to Dr. Anjali.

"Why am I being looked over by so many doctors?" Mrs. Devereux asks, as Anjali takes her blood pressure.

"Because, you're special, Mrs. Devereux," Dr. Valera answers. "You're Dr. Chase's first patient as a supervisor."

"Really?" Mrs. Devereux smiles brightly. "I'm honored. You're really in charge of all of them, Dr. Chase?"

He smiles politely and nods.

"Well, that's impressive. You look youngest out of all of them!"

Chase eyes widen horrified. He turns back to the other doctors, who all look at each other, unsure how to react.

"Not to say that any of you look old. It's just impressive how Dr. Chase is so young, yet put in charge of so many people."

She gives Chase a wink. He blushes slightly.

"Well I feel so special being treated by such young, handsome doctors." She gives everyone in the room a once over.

"Dr. Anjali, you have the softest touch. Having a soft touch is important for a woman." Anjali doesn't even nod. She just takes note on her chart.

Honeycutt snickers at the comment.

"And you miss," Honeycutt freezes. "You look like Marlene Dietrich," Honeycutt smiles brightly, "you really don' need all that make up."

Honeycutt's smile drops, her blush becomes deeper.

Wildman taps Ross' shoulder, "Who's Marlene Dietrich?"

"What kind of question is that?" Mrs. Devereux exclaims. "She's only the most gorgeous actress of the twentieth century. If you asks she's a bigger blond bomb shell than Marilyn Monroe. Where'd you grow up on a farm?"

"A ranch," Wildman answers.

"Oh," Mrs. Devereux seems to light up at that prospect. "In Texas?"

"Montana."

"Oh," Mrs. Devereux sighs, sounding disappointed. "It would be so much better if you were from Texas. I was in love with a cowboy from Texas."

"I'm sorry to disappoint," says Wildman says with an amused grin on his face.

"And you young man," Mrs. Devereux continues to Luna who stands at attention. "Do you know how to dance?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I love Latin men. They all know how to lead a woman on the dance floor."

"I haven't gotten any complaints."

"I bet you haven't," she says giving him a suggestive wink. Luna's eyes widen, realizing she was talking about sex.

"What about you son," Mrs. Devereux asks, indicating Ross, who gets a deer in the head lights kind of look. "Do you know how to dance?"

She puckers her lips at him, causing Ross to feel very uncomfortable.

Rebecca lets out a snort. "I have to… go check on something." She exits the room. The group hears a burst of laughter just before the door shuts close.

Chase looks back at his team. Wildman and Luna are keeping their lips pressed tightly, trying not to laugh at the older woman's comments, while Honeycutt and Ross look rather embarrassed and annoyed.

Anjali, impressively keeps a perfectly neutral face as she completes her exam.

"All done," she announces. "She has a cold."

"Dr. Anjali, aren't you forgetting an important step?"

Anjali looks frightened for a moment, but quickly hides it. She looks down at her chart and goes through the steps of the exam in her head. If she missed a step, she has no idea what.

She looks to the other doctors. They don't look like they have an idea of what she missed either.

"Her history."

Anjali is taken aback. "But the history the nurse took is on her chart."

"But how thorough a job, can you be sure the nurse did? You should do another history, everything she says is important. Maybe you'll discover something the nurse missed.

The door slams open. An irate Dr. Cuddy appears at the door.

"Dr. Chase! Did you forget how to count to three?"

0000000---0000000

Next Chapter: Chase's faces Cuddy's wrath. This is beginning to become a habit.

000---000

Trivia: What four television doctors have been referenced in the last two chapters?

Clue: One of them was on House!

000---000

Please R&R!


	18. Side Show

Sorry, been slacking on this chapter, then it suddenly took a life all it's own! 

Trivia from last chapter!

**Honeycutt **comes from Dr. B.J. Honeycutt of MASH. Played by Mike Farrell, whom I've met and was a total fangirl over. 

**Ross **comes from Doug Ross of ER. I can't believe more people didn't get that one, since he was played by George Clooney. 

Though I did like **AccentFetish**'s guess that it was Ross from Friends. 

**Westphall** is Dr. Donald Westphall from St. Elsewhere. That one was probably more obscure. I figured I'd give St. Elsewhere a shout out because of David Morse. 

And of course last but not least. 

The mention of **Dr. Curtis**, from episode 4.6 Whatever it Takes. He's the other doctor the CIA employed along with House to diagnose the patient. 

I figured that he'd be bad mouthing House and the PPTH after his encounter with him. 

So here's the story! Hope you enjoy. 

Disclaimer: Do not own House, but do own original characters.

* * *

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Side Show

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After being hustled out of the patient room by Cuddy, Chase's quintet look at each other dumbly as they stand in the middle of clinic wondering what they are suppose to do now. 

"Should we go back to the office?" Luna asks. 

They all grimace at the thought. No one wants to be crammed into a small room again. 

000---000

Wilson quietly observes the group as they debate on their next move. 

House slides next to Wilson. 

"What's with the nerd herd?" he asks. 

Wilson looks at him in shock. "What are you doing here this early?" 

"Never left," looking more rumpled than usual. 

Wilson lifts up his eyebrow. 

"Case." 

Wilson nods. "Meet Chase's new team." 

House's mouth drops open. "Why does Chase get more than three fellows?" he whines. 

"He doesn't. Cuddy is ripping him a new one right now." 

"Good for Chase… Why does he get more than three?" House says indignantly. 

Wilson shakes his head. "He's just trying to evaluate the doctors, like you did, only he isn't crazy enough to hire a whole med school." 

"Copy cat." House pouts, then he gets a sly grin on his face. 

They watch the tall candidate exit the clinic, and the rest scamper after him. 

Wilson sees a mischievous twinkle in House's eye. "House," he says warningly. "You told me you promised Chase that you wouldn't mess with him anymore, that especially means his candidates."

"I not," House says innocently. "It doesn't mean that others won't."

"House…" Wilson says warningly.

House slaps Wilson's back. "Come on! Let's go see if Oliver can stay in the orphanage after asking for more porridge." 

000---000

"You can't hire more than three fellows!" Cuddy says straining her voice, trying to keep herself from screaming at the young blond in front of her. 

"I wasn't planning on it." Chase answers calmly. 

Chase keeps his best professional face. _No wonder House likes poking at Cuddy so much. It's amusing to see her try not to pull out her own hair. Though it's probably best not act cheeky with her. She doesn't like me as much as House. _

"You don't have the budget for this!" 

"Actually I do. Mr. Hollander donated twenty thousand dollars to my team budget for my _discretion_," Chase coughs, "during his case." 

Cuddy lets out a deep breath. "Why are you doing this to me? The reason why I agreed to hire you, is because I thought you wouldn't be…" she points past Chase. 

Chase turns around to see House enter the room, followed by a sheepish looking Wilson.

"…him." 

"What did I do?" House squeaks as he sprawls out on Cuddy's couch. 

"You're a bad influence. You've poisoned everyone against me!" 

House smirks. "I didn't do anything. You're suppose to be eating the wombat!" 

Cuddy rolls her eyes. "If I knew that I was going to have to deal with House Jr. I would have talked the board out of forming the second team." She rubs her temple and takes out an aspirin. 

"I'm not House Jr.," Chase says with a pout. 

"He's right you know," House interjects. "If anything he's Ken Doll House, all the girls love to play doctor with him. 

Wilson can't help but snort into his palm, Cuddy rolls her eyes, and all Chase could hear was 'Ken Doll.' 

He rubs his temples. "This isn't a game," Chase insists. "I can't gleam information from their clinical and diagnostic skills based on an interview. Besides, with the donation, I don't even have to cut salaries." 

"What donation?" Wilson asks. 

"House made me take a simple STD case with one of the hospital's donors. I guess he was impressed with my doctor skills, so he donated twenty thousand to my team."

"Wait a second," House interrupted. "Is that the guy with the mistress, who came in with bumps on his winkie, and turned out to be a bad case of hot tub folliculitis?" 

"Yes." 

"Damn!" House slaps the arm of the couch. "If I knew he was into bribing, I would have taken the case and asked for a flat screen TV." 

"He donated twenty thousand dollars," Wilson muses. "You probably could have gotten a whole entertainment center complete with surround sound." 

"Enough." Cuddy waves her hands. She looks at Chase directly in the eye. "No games." 

"I'm not treating this as one. Honestly, I'm just evaluating for fellows the only way I know how. I'm not House…"

"So you keep saying," Cuddy responds dryly. 

"Do you really think, I'm going to send them on a scavenger hunt for your thong?" Chase asks irritability. 

Cuddy looks to House on her couch and glares at him. "No. I don't know what you're going to do." Cuddy rises from her chair, and straightens out her clothing. She had her sternest administrator face on. "When will your team be picked?" 

"As soon as possible." Chase says carefully. "I just need a diagnostic case or two."

Cuddy walks around her desk and stands in front of Chase looking very intimidating. "Sounds reasonable. You have two weeks." 

Chase's eyes widen. 

"If you don't have your team chosen in two weeks, I'm choosing names out of a hat."

"But…" Chase stammers. 

"No buts. Obviously you interviewed these five doctors and they've impressed you enough with their qualifications. Two weeks should be enough time to evaluate. I'm sure you can make it work with any of the three." 

"But it's my team…"

Cuddy puts her hand up. "And I can still convince the board to dissolve it. The last thing the hospital needs is two rogue diagnostic teams running around." 

"I'm not a rogue…" Chase pouts. He shoves his hands in his pocket. 

Cuddy lets out an annoyed sigh. "Surprisingly, that remains to be seen. After all, you managed to hire five doctors behind my back. I'm going to send all diagnostic referrals your way first."

"What about me?" House whines.

"What about you? I want this process over with as soon as possible. It's not like you take a case without me beating you over the head with it." 

House looks begrudgingly at Chase. "If you get anything good, don't be surprised if your patient ends up in oncology." 

Chase rolls his eyes. "If that's all, I have to get back to my team." 

"Dismissed," Cuddy says. 

Chase shuffles out the door.

Cuddy looks over to House and Wilson who are still loitering in her office. 

"Why are you here?" she barks.

House gets himself off the couch, "Catching dinner and a show, he's paying for dinner later though." He makes his way across the room and flips his head around before he exits. "If you want, I could give you wombat rearing lessons. I'll see if I can dig out my old cattle prod." 

Cuddy looks to Wilson, a bit horrified. He shrugs, "See you later," and follows House out the door.

Cuddy watches him leave, feeling disconcerted. Either Chase has really changed since he got the job, or she never really knew him at all. She rubs her temple. She gets a feeling that she has to stock up on aspirin for the next two weeks. 

000---000

Chase walks back into Clinic and finds his candidates nowhere to be seen. Who he does see is Dr. Rebecca Valera having a lively chat with Nurse Brenda at the nurses station.

Chase makes a beeline for her, as walks by Foreman, completely ignoring him. 

"Chase!" Foreman calls out to him. "We need to talk." 

Chase stops suddenly, knowing exactly what Foreman wants to talk about, Cameron. He frowns, and looks back at Foreman. "After work? Your office six o'clock?" 

Foreman nods, "See you then." 

Chase turns around and continues his trajectory towards Rebecca as Foreman looks on. 

000---000

"Dr. Valera may I have a moment." 

Rebecca turns around to see Chase standing behind her. "Of course, _Dr. Chase._" She gives him an amused smile.

They walk a little ways away from the station. 

"So what's up?" She asks lightly.

"I could just kill you right now." Chase whispers harshly. 

Rebecca looks at him in surprise, then starts to chuckle. 

"For what?" she says innocently, though they both know that she knows perfectly well why he's miffed.

Chase's glares at her, "For assigning me Mrs. Devereux." 

"First of all, if you and your team can't handle a little old lady's inappropriate remarks, then you really need to remove that stick out of your collective asses," Rebecca states matter of factly. Chase still glowers at her. "Second of all, you needed an interesting case. I didn't have one, so I gave you an interesting patient." 

"So why did you decide to join us?" 

"Because I wanted to see you in action, and…" a mischievous smile crosses her face, "it would be funny." 

"Gee, thanks mate," Chase says self- deprecatingly. 

"The case wasn't a complete wash was it?" she asks sweetly, him a disarming smile. "Watching everyone interact was fascinating." 

"I bet," He grumbles. 

"I wasn't going in for a laugh at your expense." Chase give her a look. "Okay, maybe just a little bit, but I thought you handled yourself very well." 

Chase studies her very carefully. 

"Very teacherly," she says flashing him that same disarming smile. 

Chase couldn't help but find her self- assured manner at this moment like a precocious eight year old. Light, non threatening, points valid but in an amusing way. Its her tactic to try to get out of him being mad at her, and he's letting it work. 

"That's not a real word." He gives her a slight smile, his initial anger subsiding. 

"This is America. We're not exactly known for speaking proper English." 

Chase snorts at the very truth of it. 

"Now that you're done killing me, aren't you suppose to be looking for something?" 

Chase lets out a sigh, "Yeah." 

She looks at him with concern. "Is something on your mind?" 

"I'm a bit worried about how they'll react after what Mrs. Devereux said about me." 

Rebecca nods in sympathy, then reaches up and ruffles his hair. 

"Hey!" Chase squeals, as he pats his hair down. 

"Get over yourself. Just show him who's boss. I think I saw your team head for the cafeteria." She slaps a file into his chest, and winks at him, then flounces into an exam room.

Chase looks after her and shakes his head and wonders how she can get away with those things. 

He looks down at the file she handed him, something catches his eye and he smirks. Perhaps something from the Devereux case can be salvaged. 

000---000

Foreman watches Chase's and Valera's interaction from the side. He frowns and crosses his arms. Perhaps Chase isn't the only one he needs to talk to. 

000---000

The quintet sits in awkward silence as they stir their various coffee's and tea's. Well, Ross is currently staring as Wildman squeezes a fifth packet of honey into his green tea. 

"So what is everyone's specialties?" Honeycutt abruptly asks in her sweet Southern drawl, in an effort to get their little group to talk about something. She isn't very comfortable with silences.

Everyone turns to look at her like she just sprouted a horrible boil on her neck.

"Oh what for?" Anjali gripes. 

Honeycutt blushes. "I just thought we could make small talk." 

"Dr. Anjali, there's no need to be a sourpuss," Luna says in a calming voice, "Britney's just trying to start a conversation." He gives Honeycutt a reassuring and somewhat flirteaous smile. "Mine's cardiology and preventative medicine. What's yours?"

Honeycutt gives him a grateful smile, "Hematology," she says in a whisper. 

They look to Anjali, who just rolls her eyes. "Infectious Disease, and I know I told you twice." She points at Luna. 

"Dermatology and integrated medicine." Wildman answers, he takes a sip out of his green tea, then adds another package of honey to it. They all turn to look at him like he's strange. He shrugs, "Needs lemon." He gets up from his seat and heads to the lunch line. 

Ross throws his hands up in the air. "Why are we making small talk when two of us could be fired whenever Dr…" 

"Cuddy." Anjali offers. 

"Cuddy, finishes… whatever she's doing with Dr. Chase." Ross crosses his arms and frets. 

"Well, that's to say she doesn't fire him. Then I suppose all of us would be fired then," says Honeycutt, causing everyone to frown. No one considered that option. 

"Why'd you have to bring that up?" Ross whines and puts his head in his hands. 

"Aren't you a proctologist?" Wildman asks, coming up from behind Ross with some lemon and a yogurt. He flops back down on his seat. 

"I'm a gastroenterologist." Ross grits his teeth. "Why would you say I'm a proctologist?" 

Wildman puts a spoonful of yogurt and impishly shrugs at Ross. 

"Cause there's always something up your ass," Anjali mumbles as she looks away. She hears snickering. Her eyes go wide, and she puts her hand over her mouth. She looks back at Luna who coughs, as he tries to hide a smile, Honeycutt looks side to side, unsure how to act, Wildman got yogurt coming out of his nose, and Ross glares daggers at her. Anjali realizes that she just said that out loud. 

"I…" she blathers, grimacing. She hates it when she thinks out loud. 

"So," Wildman says nonchalantly, cutting the tension. "Did I miss anything?" 

"Just how we're all going to get fired." Ross grumbles. 

"Not for another two weeks, at least," an Australian voice behind them says. 

The group turns around to find Dr. Chase. They all stand, looking at him expectantly. Chase arches his eyebrow at them. It's strange having that sort of effect on people. 

"So what can you tell me about Mrs. Devereux?"

"She has a cold." Anjali says quickly. 

"That's you're diagnosis. What I want to know is what can you tell me about her." 

The group look around at each other, a little confused to what Dr. Chase is asking of them. 

Luna catches on first. "She's lonely." 

Chase cocks his head, not expecting that observation. "What makes you say that?" 

"Who comes into a free clinic for just a cold?" Luna continues thoughtfully. "She's probably like one of those old Catholic ladies who go to confession every week, just because they need someone to talk to. By the way she was… _interacting_ with all of us, she didn't seem to really care about her medical condition."

"Okay," Chase looks around. "Anything else?"

"She's been to Texas." Anjali offers.

"No she said she was in love with a cowboy from Texas, that doesn't necessarily mean that she's been to Texas," Wildman counters. Causing Anjali to glare daggers at him. 

"We're all inferring what we know from meeting her," Anjali says, defensively. 

"I know, I was just pointing out where there could be flaws in your logic. There's always the possibility of inferring the wrong thing." 

Anjali crosses her arms and seethes at him, but she really can't come up with anything to counter his point. Wildman simply shrugs at her. To his credit, looks neither guilty nor smug about putting down Anjali's suggestion. 

They look at Chase who remains impassive. "How does whether or she's been to Texas help with diagnosis?" 

They all look at each other. That information doesn't really seem to help with diagnosis. 

Chase is actually very impressed with himself at the moment. He really had no idea what would happen if he brought up this line of questioning. 

"Mrs. Devereux is a donor," Ross says brightly he looks the most positive since they've known him, "I saw her name on one of the donor plaques." The other candidates look at him strangely. "What! I have a photographic memory!" 

They look back to Chase. 

"So this tells us?" Chase asks, wanting him to clarify. 

Ross shrugs. "So she can go to the hospital whenever she wants. I think she goes to the free clinic, maybe her regular doctor doesn't take her seriously."

Chase raises his eyebrows, "Interesting point. Could that be something?" 

Chase watches his candidates closely. He can see the wheels spinning in all of their eyes. 

"She could be a candidate for Munchausen's?" Honeycutt pipes up. "A very benign form. After all, who goes to a free clinic for a cold, when she clearly has money for a regular doctor." 

"Any arguments against that?" Chase asks. Honeycutt immediately blushes. 

"She doesn't hurt herself. She didn't exaggerate her symptoms. She did seem to enjoy the attention though, that's a sign of Munchausen's, " Luna replies. 

"Did Dr. Valera finish up with the patient?" Wildman asks suddenly. 

"Bout time someone asked that." Chase takes out the file, and places it on the table. Ross quickly grabs the file away from Anjali. Everyone gathers around him trying to look over his shoulder." 

"Was there a purpose to those questions?" Anjali asks. "According to this, it's a cold. Coughing, sneezing, no chest pain, no phlegm, no fevers, some weakness, Dr. Valera even got a chest X- ray to rule out bronchitis and pneumonia."

"We still haven't ruled out Munchausen's." Chase says. "And why she went to clinic for a cold." 

"So we need to call that woman back in for a psych exam?" Ross asks. 

"Not necessarily, the answers in the file. There was a reason, why I wanted Dr. Anjali to do the history." 

"This is her only visit to the Clinic, since she's been with the hospital for ten years." Wildman points out. 

"Why's that important?" Ross asks. 

Luna grabs the file out of Ross' hands. "Because her primary physician is Dr. Nichols, which its noted on is out of the country." 

"So?" Chase asks. 

"So, Mrs. Devereux came to clinic because her primary physician is out of the country, and because the cold has lasted a couple days longer than she's used to, she wanted to make sure it wasn't anything serious, being that she's older and the immune system isn't what it used to be," Anjali says solemnly. Anjali looks at Chase. "But she still has a cold." 

Chase nods, "That she does." Anjali beams. 

"So she doesn't have Munchausen's." Honeycutt looks down at the ground. Worried about what a wrong diagnosis would mean for her. 

"Yeah, but luckily we didn't call her in for a psych consult," Chase says dryly. He looks at her, encouragingly. "Based on your line of thinking, it was a credible diagnosis, but do you all know where you went astray." 

His beeper goes off. 

Chase looks down at his beeper. "That's strange…" He turns back to the candidates. "Why don't you guys go back to clinic and see if you can find another patient to present." 

Chase runs out of the cafeteria. 

The candidates head for the clinic in silence. They are consumed in their own thoughts, wishing that Dr. Chase didn't run out before he gave them the answer. 

"So what did y'all think?" Honeycutt asks the group. "Where do you we went wrong?" 

"What are you talking about 'we' for?" Ross asks. "You were the one who said Munchausen's." 

"We were all wrong," Luna adds defending her. "I was wrong in my assumption that she was lonely." 

"What else could explain her behavior?" Anjali asks. 

"That she's an unabashed flirt." They all chuckle at the comments she made to them. 

"You inferred that her doctor didn't take her seriously," Luna points out to Ross. "Munchausen's patients tend to go to different physicians." 

They get the nurses station. Each grabbing a file looking for an interesting case to give Dr. Chase. 

"So you saying this is my fault?" asks Ross defensively. 

"No I'm saying that we all inferred the wrong things based on the information we observed." 

"So I guess I'm the only who was right." Anjali says, smugly. 

Yeah, only after Stan and I connected the dots for you." Luna comments. 

"But Dr. Chase will only care that I got the diagnosis right." 

"Dr. Chase already knew you were right." Wildman jumps in. "Do you really think he would have made us go through that whole differential, if the only thing he wanted was the right answer?" 

"Well at least I wasn't making up mountains out off stupid details."

"But that's what Dr. Chase wanted!"

"How do you know what he wants?"

The group begins to argue in front of the nursing station. As their voices get louder and jumbled together, they start to draw attention from physicians, nurses and patients. The group seems very close to throwing folders at each other. 

"Hey!" They all stop mid- sentence. They turn around to see a very agitated black doctor who looks like he's in charge. 

"What is going on in my clinic?" he asks with his hands on his hips, looking rather annoyed that the quintet was having a shouting match in his clinic. 

"Dr. Chase asked us to find him a case," Honeycutt answers, timidly. 

"He did, did he?" He tilts his head to the side and glares at the candidates. "Who are all of you?" 

The candidates all look at each other. "His fellows, well some of us, hopefully." 

The doctor arches his eyebrow in interest. 

They all look at him nervously, ashamed at their little public outburst. 

"Ring! Ring!" 

All their beepers go off. They look down. It's a number they don't recognize. 

"Dr…" Wildman looks at the black doctor's tag. "Foreman. Where's this?" 

"Dr. House's office." Foreman gives them a knowing grin as they all share an apprehensive look. "You better hurry. The man isn't known for his patience." 

They all take off running down the hall. 

Foreman call after them, "Other way!" 

He grins as he sees the quintet run pass him in the other direction. Which happens to be in the opposite direction of Diagnostics. 

00000000---0000000

Next Chapter: Chase's fellows meets the rest of the diagnostic team.

000---000

Okay, I'm really tired of calling these goob's the candidates and the quintet. What should I call them? 

(I know this is an old question, but that was a while ago)

Please R&R! I might not have a preview for you guys this time, sorry. But I will respond!

000---000

P.S. Shout out to **Iscariot** for point out a very funny typing goof. 

"gentile eyes," was intended to be "gentle eyes." I did not mean that Wildman had non- Jewish eyes. I nearly laughed myself out of my chair with that one. 

000---000


	19. The Mixer

Author's note:

**New update (7/13): Hi rewrote this chapter. It's mostly the same from the original. I just rewrote some little things so it fit better with the next chapter.**

I'm using Kutner and Thirteen to interact with Chase's fellows, because with already so many original characters that need to take priority, I didn't want to have to create two more personalities. So a causality of this is Lesley, who we haven't seen since the first chapter anyways. I hope you all forgive me for just dropping her.

I feel that it's for the best since she wasn't really an important character. Kutner and Thirteen are already established characters and it's probably easier for the readers to imagine them interacting in the story, than the people I've made up in my mind.

0000000--00000000

The Mixer

000--000

After receiving a strange page, Chase walks into House's office.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes you can."

Chase looks at him confused. "Did we get a case already?"

"No not exactly."

"Then why am I here?" Chase peers more closely at House.

The door slams open. Chase turns to see his candidate rushing into the room, all huffing and puffing for breath.

"Sorry," Stan Wildman inhales deeply. Being the least out of breath of all of them. "Got bad directions."

Chase looks from the group to House. Fury starting to spark in his eyes. "Um…no."

House looks at him in mock innocence, "What?"

"House, you promised!" Chase protests. He starts waving them out the door. "Can you please wait for me in the conference room."

The candidates leave.

House shakes his head highly amused. "Oh ye of little faith."

Chase glares at House, which is greeted with an insufferable smirk. "House, you promised that you wouldn't mess with them."

House continues his air of nonchalance. "A deals a deal. I won't play with the new kids, and you get to stay in the tree house."

Chase rolls his eyes. "You're up to something. Why else would you page the lot of us here?"

House shrugs, keeping his rascally smile, that makes Chase's skin crawl. "I thought that we should have a little mixer."

Chase looks at him perplexed. "A mixer?"

The door opens. "I got the Kool- aid."

000--000

House stands before the diagnostic fellows and potential fellow wearing a grin that they all had learned quickly, that they should be wary of.

Chase stands behind him arms crossed and brooding. The hairs on his neck telling him that he's in more danger, than when he was in the haunted halls of the Shelly Wing. Ultimately though, Chase's curiosity wins out. He wills himself to see whatever House is up too play out.

House taking center stage says, "Since three of you will be joining the diagnostics family…" Earning him a snort from Chase, "I thought everyone should meet. This is Kutner and Thirteen," Indicating the fellows mixing the kool- aid, "Kutner and Thirteen, meet the Wallabies one to five." Indicating Chase's confused looking fellows.

"What's a wallaby?" Honeycutt asks, as she receives a cup of kool- aid from Kutner.

"Their names are Logan Ross, Asha Anjali, Britney Honeycutt, Nicholas Luna, and Stan Wildman," Chase speaks up for his fellows. He smiles smugly at House rolling his eyes.

"Impressive, but which one's which?" House mocks him.

Chase looks between House and his candidates. Their range of expression is between highly amused and looking very uncomfortable.

"'Anyways, I need an extra hand since I fired the leprechaun for tattling on me."

Chase frowns. "What? I thought you solved your case this morning."

"Nope. Had a theory this morning, but the patient hasn't responded to treatment yet."

"It's going to be a while, for the treatment to take affect," pouts Thirteen.

"In the mean time, there's lost of lab work to process."

Kutner groans.

"And Kutner's going to spearhead it." House gives the pouting Indian an evil smirk.

Chase crosses his arms. "House can I see you outside?"

000--000

Chase speaks with House out in the hall as the fellows and would be fellows smile awkwardly at each other and try to make conversation.

"So why's your name Thirteen? Did your parent's think Twelve was taken." Stan asks the pretty brunette.

She scowls at him. "It's a pet name."

"Oh. I thought it was because you look thirteen." He smiles at her sweetly and turns to speak with Luna.

Thirteen stares at his back, befuddled. She wonders if he gave her a compliment or took a dig at her.

"I don't know either." Anjali whispers to Thirteen. "I wonder if he actually knows what comes out of his mouth."

Ross comes up to them. He looks down and shuffles his feet nervously. "So… What's your specialty?"

Anjali groans at the question.

000--000

Out in the hall way. Chase tries to confront House again.

"So what's your game House?" Chase asks.

House grins at him, carrying an air of mock innocence. "No game."

"House you promised."

"Deals a deal, I promise not to make you look like the idiot you are."

_This isn't even worth fighting. _Chase thinks to himself. _I'll at least have more time to evaluate. _Chase crosses his arms. "Fine. But no funny business."

"Funny business, moi?" House fakes feeling insulted.

Chase's pager goes off. It's the ER.

A relieved smile crosses Chase's features.

"Might have to take a rain check on the extra hand," he says casually as he takes off down the hall.

The sooner he can get his candidates away from House the better.

000--000

"So how do you like working for Dr. House?" Honeycutt asks Thirteen and Kutner, who share a knowing look.

"It's never a dull moment." Thirteen answers with a sigh.

"Yeah you never know what he's going to do next." Kutner answers with a little more enthusiasm.

"What about Dr. Chase?" Luna asks.

Kutner shrugs. "We haven't really worked with him. He's just the guy we blackmail into doing exploratory surgeries."

The candidates look at the fellows a little shocked.

"Why would he have to be blackmailed?" Anjali asks.

"More importantly, what do you blackmail him with?" Ross adds.

House burst into the room.

"Okay enough fun. Thirteen go check on the patient, make sure the nurses haven't killed him yet. Take the Mexican guy…"

"My family is from Brazil." Luna pouts.

"and the dumb jock."

"Which one of us is the dumb jock?" Ross asks.

House turns to Ross, who takes a step back. "Poor powers of deduction. Not good. Obviously it's the blond pixie over there who's played in the NFL." All the candidates look at each other confused. "The rest of you go with Kutner to the lab."

He walks out of the room and into his office with flourish. They see him take a seat at his desk, prop his feet up and pull out a game boy.

Thirteen rolls her eyes and heads out the door followed by Luna and Wildman.

Honeycutt starts to follow, but Anjali grabs her elbow. We're with him," indicating Kutner, who exits out the other door. She pushes her to follow.

"But…"

"He was being sarcastic. Why do you always miss the obvious?"

"Geez. No wonder House only hires one girl." Kutner says, causing Ross to chuckle. The women glare daggers at them as they follow the men to the lab.

"So did the tall guy really play in the NFL?"

000--000

Chase runs into the bustling ER. All the patient beds are filled, with people suffering from various ailments.

Chase catches Cameron's eye. She simply ignores him and continues working up her patient who's leg is in traction.

Obviously it wasn't Cameron who paged him, so Chase makes his way to the nurse's station.

"Hello Arlene." Chase greets the nurse on duty.

"Hello Dr. Chase." The nurse replies back. She quickly closes the web page she was looking at on the computer. "What are you doing here?"

"I was paged." Chase answers back looking confused. "Doesn't someone need a diagnostic consult."

"Not that I know of. It's been mostly broken bones and stitches today."

Chase face darkens. He realizes what's going on.

"House."

000--000

Chase runs back to Diagnostics to find both the conference room, and House's office completely empty.

Chase takes a moment and lets out a breath. He grins and shakes his head despite himself.

"That took as long as I expected." He takes off down the hall in search of his candidates.

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Next Chapter Title: Word of Mouth

000--000

This chapter is mostly a set up for what happens next. I know not much has happened, but I hope everyone enjoyed!

Please R&R! I did do a preview for the last people who R&R, even though I said I wouldn't. I hope I made the right decision to cop out and just drop Lesley and fall back on David Shore's characters. What do you guys think?

Flames are okay.


	20. Word of Mouth

Foreman leads Rebecca into an empty clinic room

Author's note: Hi Everyone! Back from an unexpected three month hiatus. So I'm very sorry I couldn't update a lot sooner.

Anyways, I've rewritten the previous chapter to fit this chapter better. While on hiatus, I had a change in inspiration for this chapter.

Hope you enjoy. xoxo

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Word of Mouth

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Foreman chuckles as he watches Chase's fellows scamper off in the wrong direction of Diagnostics.

_Figures that Chase would find people that are more clueless than he is. _

Foreman turns towards the nurses station and stops short.

There he sees Nurse Brenda and a pimple- faced orderly, giggling with the infamous Dr. Rebecca Valera.

000--000

They are huddled over the computer screen, looking at a very funny webpage.

"I've got to say, who ever this person is, they're fast," Valera comments, as they scroll down the impressive webpage of _Doctoring with Miss Informed_ who blogs about all the gossipy happenings of the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital staff. The website not only has a bulletin board of the private lives of unfortunate staffers, it also has the "Doable List" poll, rating the most screwable PPTH employees.

The newest addition to the site is the "Your favorite Chaser" poll showing the not so flattering pictures of PPTH's newest maybe fellows. Ahead are Dr.'s Wildman and Luna, most likely because they are viewed as the most attractive.

"This is officially the gossipiest hospital I've ever worked in." Valera says dryly. "Someone clearly hasn't gotten over high school."

"Yeah, I can't believe Cuddy hasn't had this site shut down," says the orderly.

"Please," Nurse Brenda snits, "It's probably her home page"

"How long has this site been up?" Valera asks.

"I just found out about it a couple months ago," Nurse Brenda answers. "Why?"

Valera nods, hiding the true value of Nurse Brenda's answer. "Well whoever does this has way too much time on their hands, doesn't anyone work at this hospital?"

"Speaking of which," Foreman coughs behind them. They all turn around and look guiltily at him.

Both Nurse Brenda and the orderly hastily sulk off to pretend to go back to work.

Valera just smiles nervously at Foreman who's looking at her really intensely.

"Did you know you're ranked fourteenth on the Doable List?"

000--000

Foreman leads Rebecca into an empty clinic room.

"Why do I feel like I'm walking into the principal's office?" she asks lightly, trying to relieve the tension in the air.

Foreman continues to look on humorless. He isn't quite sure how to begin. How exactly do you go about asking someone whether or not they are having an affair? How exactly did he get involved with this in the first place? _Oh yeah, Cameron passed out on his couch_.

Rebecca sighs. "I'm sorry about the Doable List comment. I was just trying to liven up the mood. But you should be flattered, you were eighteenth a week ago…"

Foreman shakes his head. "I wanted to talk to you about Chase."

"Oh," Valera immediately brightens, causing Forman to narrow his eyes at her. _Maybe there is something to the rumors_.

"No worries. I know all about it."

"You do?" Foreman looks at her surprised.

"Yeah. Cuddy talked to everyone in the clinic."

Foreman blinks. "She did? About Chase?"

Valera nods. "Yeah. It was no big deal. Everyone is happy to do what they're told."

"Really?" Foreman found it surprising that Cuddy would be involved, but rumors at the PPTH tend to mutate into vicious monsters. He heard that she had to transfer some of the nurses out of the cardiology department, because of a lesbian love triangle rumor. Tensions ran so high it sent the department into a stand still. For a good week and a half, the staff acted more unprofessional than Diagnostics. It didn't help that nearly every member or the male staff was camping out there hoping to see some hot lesbian action, or chick fight.

"So how do you feel about it?" Foreman asks. He's surprised how blasé she is about her dirty laundry being aired out in public.

Valera shrugs. "I haven't met Dr. House yet, so if I had gotten anything interesting, I'd probably send it to Dr. Chase anyways."

"House?" Foreman looks at her confused. Then it dawns on him, he realizes that they are talking about two completely different things.

"Oh, the diagnostic fellowship. Actually I wanted to talk about something else."

"Okay."

"Your relationship with Chase," Foreman says.

Rebecca tilts her head and looks at him baffled. "Heh? Why?"

This causes Foreman to pause.It's probably not the best idea to outright accuse your subordinate of having an affair with a certain former colleague, especially if he's not sure between Cameron and Chase who's in the right. "Because if you're just friends, I was just wondering…if you wanted to go dinner," Foreman smiles, faking his usual smug demeanor. 

Rebecca looks surprised, "You want to invite me to dinner… with you?"

"And Chase." Foreman nods, feeling quite pleased with himself. If he can observe them together out of the hospital, he can determine if Cameron is being more than a jealous girlfriend.

Rebecca looks really weirded out by the whole conversation. "Sure," she shrugs.

They smile and nod awkwardly at each other. Rebecca waits for Foreman to say something else, and looks a little disconcerted when he doesn't.

"That it?"

"Oh, I wanted you to check out Mrs. Weathersby, she's a regular." Valera takes the folder and gives him a wry smile before heads out of the room.

Foreman slaps himself on the forehead. "Great." Foreman grumbles. What did he just get himself into?

000--000

Thirteen enters the Intensive Care Unit flanked by Stan Wildman and Nicholas Luna.

Inside the patient's room they find a man in his mid- thirties hooked up to a ventilator and dialysis machine. Beside his is a frail old woman clutching his hand.

Thirteen gently puts her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Excuse me, Mrs. Guthrie, we need to examine Damon now, can you please step outside?"

"But he needs me." Mrs. Guthrie sobs.

"He's in good hands," Wildman gives her a reassuring smile. He then, takes her hand off her son's and leads her outside.

"He went into respiratory arrest about two hours ago, just after we started treatment." Thirteen tells Luna. She looks over the monitors and examines the patient, while Luna looks over the chart. His eyes widen at the suspected diagnosis.

"He hasn't responded to treatment yet?" he asks.

Thirteen shakes her head.

"Well, if the poison has gotten this far into his system it could be weeks before he comes out of this, if he comes out of this at all."

Thirteen nods thoughtfully as she continues with the examination. Luna puts the chart down. He walks over to where Thirteen is observing the monitors.

"So what was your interview process like?"

"Like yours except with thirty more people." Thirteen says flatly, keeping her attention on the patient.

Luna's eyes widen. "Damn, and the Dean was mad with five."

Thirteen shrugs.

"So was this job worth it?" He asks unexpectedly

Thirteen snaps her neck to him. He's lookinh straight into her eyes, unnerving her a bit. She is unsure how to answer him.

She glances down at the floor.

"Where's Wildman?" She asks, noticing that he's taking an extraordinary amount of time escorting Mrs. Guthrie to the waiting room.

"Over here."

Thirteen and Luna turn to find the tall doctor standing at the foot of the bed reading the chart.

"Wow, we didn't hear you come in," says Luna impressed by how quietly he entered the room.

"Obviously," he winks at them then looks back down at the chart.

Thirteen shakes her head. She still can't tell whether or not he's mocking them.

"So, got any advice for impressing Dr. Chase?" Wildman asks.

"Ask his girlfriend," Thirteen answers sharply, then turns back to the patient. "All I really know about him is that he was fired, and now he's heading a team."

Luna and Wildman look at each other and shrug.

"How's he doing?" They all turn to see a pretty woman with curly brown hair waiting at the door.

"Janice, you know you're not allowed in here," Thirteen tells her sympathetically.

The woman is near tears. "But he's my fiancée, please."

"I'm sorry, you're not family. We have to respect the wishes of the mother."

"Why? You can't believe her over me. I didn't do this to him."

Luna and Wildman look nervously at each other, unsure of what to do. Clearly there are things happening with this case that aren't on the chart.

"Get out of here you no good tart!" The mother appears behind her, looking absolutely furious.

"Mrs. Guthrie, I love your son. I didn't do this to him."

"Stay away. My Kurt doesn't need you. I won't let you take him away from me!"

Mrs. Guthrie tosses her hot coffee on her blouse.

Janice shrieks with pain.

Wildman runs in between them. "Ladies, please! This isn't helping anyone!"

Suddenly, the patient goes into cardiac arrest.

The doctors all spring into action. Luna gets the defibulater out, while Thirteen unhooks the ventilator. Nurses rush into the room, as Wildman has his hands full trying to push both hysterical women out of the room to let the rest of the team work.

Thirteen takes the paddles from Luna.

"Charging to two hundred! Clear!"

They shock him, but the patient is still flatline.

"Charging to three hundred! Clear!"

They shock him again, and generate a heart beat. Both Thirteen and Luna let out a sigh of relief. But their reprieve is short lived as they hear arguing.

Through the glass they see both women continue to scream at each other, with poor Stan Wildman, getting his white coat torn as his hands are outstretched trying to keep the women apart.

Both of them look at each other and chuckle. Shocking someone back to life is by far the easier job than dealing with in- laws.

000--000

Kutner leans in a chair with his hands resting behind his head and feet up on the counter.

Britney Honeycutt, Asha Anjali, and Logan Ross, are sifting through the pile of samples taken from the patient's apartment and work space.

Honeycutt lets out a sigh. She looks over to Anjali, and they share the same bored look. Kutner begins humming and tapping his fingers on the counter.

"How come you're not helping?" she asks meekly.

"I'm waiting for the heavy metal test."

Anjali snorts, "You're treating him for Thallium, and you haven't done a heavy metal test yet? Is it common practice here to treat before confirming the diagnosis. "

Kutner smirks, "Standard operating procedure."

"Why are we testing the entire pantry, again?" Ross asks.

"Because, House said to," Kutner replied nonchalantly.

Anjali rolls her eyes. "How did you get Thallium anyways?"

"The guy fixes up old houses. We found thallium in the rat poisoning he was using. Fit the symptoms."

"Did he lick the Thallium off the floor?" Anjali scoffs.

Kutner shrugs. "Mom thinks it's the girlfriend. She works at a pharmacy, and has another dead fiancée."

"Aren't people supposed to kill their lovers, after they get hitched?" Ross asks ironically.

Kutner chuckles, while Anjali rolls her eyes, and Honeycutt ignores them hunching over more samples to prepare them for testing.

"How come the police aren't involved?" Anjali asks.

"Cuddy didn't want us calling until the Thallium was confirmed."

"Why?"

"Probably, because of House's trouble with Tritter. He's a detective House had a run in with. "

They all look at him incredulously. "What do you mean by run in?"

"The whole getting his medical license revoked, and thrown in jail, thing for House leaving a thermometer in his ass…" Kutner pauses for a moment, looking at the amused and confused faces of the other three, realizes how badly that sounded. "literally speaking."

"That would do it," Logan says, then turns back to his tests.

Honeycutt's eyes nearly bug out of their sockets.

"Well at least Chase doesn't have any run in's with the law, right?" she squeaks.

"At least House isn't a rat," Kutner says absentmindedly.

Ross and Anjali nearly drop their samples. They turn their attention towards Kutner.

"No wait! That was Volger."

The three other fellows look at each other, confused. Their would- be supervisor just became much more interesting.

"Who's Volger, another cop?" Logan asks.

Kutner stops tapping. He turns towards the other three who are all looking at him intensely. He starts to blush.

"Um… no," Kutner starts looking a little guilty, for talking out of place. "He was a donor to the hospital who pulled out a hundred million dollars."

"Because of something Chase did?"

"No, it was definitely something House did."

The all look at him curiously. "Then, what did Chase have to do with the situation?" Anjali asks, suspiciously.

Kutner gulps. He starts to squirm in his chair a bit. "You should really talk to Foreman about this. He runs the clinic. I wasn't here, when it happened."

A beeping sound pierces through the room.

Kutner turns towards the printer that is printing out the results of the heavy metal test.

Kutner picks up the paper. "Whoa!"

He runs out of the room, leaving three very curious doctors in his wake.

000--000

A loud slam awakens House from his nap.

He yawns loudly, and tries to open his eyes.

His blurry vision focuses on the smiling face of Ellen Degeneres.

House snaps from his leaning position. Taking stock of his senses, he hears the beeping sound of a monitor, and realizes that he had fallen asleep in coma guy's room while watching soaps.

"House!"

He turns to the door and sees a rather ticked off Chase glaring at him.

House turns back towards the TV and leans back into his chair, propping his feet up on the patients bed.

"Can you pass me the remote? Watching your ugly twin do the chicken dance, just doesn't do it for me."

Chase walks over to the patient's bed. He grabs the remote and turns off the TV. He turns to House arms crossed.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Recovering from the hooker I hired last night. She used to rhythmic gymnastics and did some kinky things with ribbons and hula hoops."

"House!" Chase cries frustrated. "Where are you hiding my fellows?"

House blinks. "They're in the lab."

"No they aren't. I checked. You didn't lock them up in the laundry room did you?"

"I never play the same trick twice." House stands up and walks past Chase.

"Where are you going?"

Chase follows him down he hall.

"To see where the Darjeeling Express ran off too. He better not be slacking off and adopting wombats or I'll make him wash every car in the hospital parking lot."

"Right, you don't know what's going on," Chase says sarcastically. "And you sent me running to the ER for… exercise?

"Actually I didn't think that you would agree to my proposal so readily. Guess I forgot who I was talking too."

Chase pouts as House gets on the elevator.

"Coming?"

Chase steps in.

The doors close.

"Thirteen said that you suspect Thallium poisoning. Please tell me that you're not trying to show up Tritter again."

"Worried about what the kiddies will find out?"

Chase glares at House.

The doors open. Chase stomps out and heads down the hall.

"We're off the case."

House catches up to him. "Chase are you worried about your rep over a patient?" House mocks him.

Chase lets out a breath. "I know what you're doing with Thirteen and Kutner. They'll hear all about me and what? They'll start treating me like Foreman and Cameron use to. That'll be fun… for you."

"My, my, someone imagined themselves into a hissy fit. Besides Thirteen isn't much of a gossipier. She's much more fun to gossip about. "

Chase scowls at House.

"Besides, they wouldn't be worth their medical degrees if they didn't investigate you. "

"Maybe, but I still have to earn their trust, and nothing good has been said about me since I've returned to Diagnostics."

Chase walks a little a head of House. House gives him a few moments reprieve before limping faster to catch up with him.

"So what's your alternative? Having them diagnose colds and figuring out treatments for diarrhea isn't going to give you any new insight on who to choose."

Chase gives House a wry smile. "You'd be surprised."

House raises and eyebrow.

They arrive at House's office. The door flings open.

"They're you are, I've been looking all over for you!"

Opposite them, is Kutner who looks a bit flushed and giddy. He hands House the results of the heavy metal testing.

House looks up at Chase and smirks.

"You sure you don't want to get in on this?"

000000--0000000

Next Chapter: Chase's fellows investigate more than just the patient.

000--000

Please R&R!

Thank you all for sticking with me!

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	21. The Missing

Hi everyone, here's another update.

Thought I'd give a shoutout to my dear supporters **Lydnz** and **CBT**. Sorry wasn't able to reply to you guys personally, but I'll make it up to you. (a.k.a. I do have a preview ready for next chapter)

Disclaimer: Do not own House/ David Shore characters, all other's are mine!

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The Missing

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"I'm last!"

Asha Anjali and Britney Honeycutt put their hands over their mouths trying unsuccessfully to suppress their snickers, to Logan Ross' rather undignified and girly outburst.

The group is in an empty research cubicle and is researching Dr. Chase and the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital when they happen to come across Miss Informed's gossip site.

Ross crosses his arms.

"Figures that the pretty boys are at the top. Doctor skills need not apply," He grumbles

"We've only been here for less than six hours. What else is the staff suppose to judge us by?" Honeycutt says good-naturally.

Ross shoots her a chiding look, causing her gaze to drop to the floor.

Anjali ignores them, and continues clicking on the site.

"These postings go back only a few months. I don't see anything on Volger… here's something on Tritter!"

She clicks on the posting.

"House Fellow having cozy lunch with Detective Tritter: Dr. Chase seen eating with Detective Tritter after all the fellows had their bank accounts frozen. Can anyone say plea bargain?"

"This makes no sense," Honeycutt says.

"It's called a euphemism. She's calling Dr. Chase a sell out," Ross explains condescendingly.

"I know," Honeycutt frowns flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder, "But Kutner said that Wilson ratted out House."

"Then what was the lunch about?" asks Ross.

"Who knows?" Anjali replies. She clicks on a couple more links. "The next posting says House punches out disloyal fellow. Apparently, Dr. House punched out Dr. Chase in front of the whole hospital."

Honeycutt and Ross both grimace

Anjali snorts, "This one says that Dr. Wilson goes to Tritter to defend his secret boy toy."

Honeycutt does a double take. "Dr. Chase is gay?"

Anjali shrugs. "This posting says, Dr. Chase and Dr. Cameron in the closet, literally. Apparently, Dr. Chase and his girlfriend were caught having sex by Dr. Cuddy."

"So, he's bi?

"Ladies, focus," Ross interrupts. "We're not trying to get into Dr. Chase's pants… unless you think it will help you get the job."

Honeycutt scowls at him. She walks away from the computer. "Well I think we're going about this the wrong way. We should just concentrate on showing him we're qualified."

"And unicorns and rainbows!"

Honeycutt blinks at him, baffled. "Excuse me?"

"Keep hoping for the best, Honeycutt, I'm sure you'll get the job that way."

Honeycutt lip starts to quiver. She gets up from her seat and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Ross bites his lip. He didn't mean to sound so harsh. He looks down at Anjali whose eyes are still on the screen, but is shaking her head in obvious disapproval.

"What?"

"Nothing," Anjali says steadily, resolutely keeping her eyes on the site, clicking on the different links.

"You know you two didn't need to follow me in here."

Anjali is taken aback, but she glares right back at him. "Yeah, but you needed my laptop." She slams it shut and walks out of the room.

Ross groans _Girls are so sensitive. _He hears his beeper going off. He rushes out the door and smacks into a human wall.

000--000

"Damn it, Stan!"

Ross looks up to see instead of the six foot five, jolly green giant, he comes face to face with the blue green eyes of a five foot nine, blond Australian.

Ross' potential boss looks at him strangely. Beside him is Anjali, with a self- righteous smirk on her face.

"Excuse me Dr. Chase." Ross mutters, his face starting to flush.

Chase scratching his head as to how he could be mistaken for a man twice his size. "Eh, no worries. New development. Everyone's heading to the conference room."

Chase walks down the hall. He sees Anjali smirk wider and arch her eyebrow at him, before following the other doctor, clearly taking pleasure in his embarrassment.

Ross just sighs. Sometimes he really hates working with people.

000--000

Chase walks into the conference room. He's disappointed to find only Kutner sitting at the table looking at a magazine. He didn't even look up to see who entered the room. Anjali and Ross make there way over to the table and sit next to him.

He hears the door open to find Luna and Thirteen entering, not looking very hurried. He's pretty sure if House had sent the page Thirteen would have bolted here from where ever she was.

He frowns. Still missing two candidates. Surely people fighting for a job would feel the need to hassle when summoned? An ill feeling starts creeping into the back of his mind. He looks at the group that had gathered. His three candidates were looking around uncertain of what to do. Thirteen and Kutner have yet to acknowledge his presence. Chase realizes they are probably waiting for House. He looks around, finally realizing that House is no where in sight.

Chase wonders what to do. This isn't his case, but why isn't House here? He usually salivates over these mysteries.

"You should add cardiac arrest on he symptom board," Luna's voice gets Chase out of his stupor. "We have him stable, _for now_."

Chase realizes that he's had subconsciously walked to the white board and is now fiddling with the dry erase marker in his hand.

Chase lets out a breath. He did not have time to hunt down House, or figure out the reason his absence. There is a man whose condition is deteriorating, and someone had to solve it quick.

"Right," says Chase, who writes down the symptom in his loopy handwriting, next to House's chicken scratch, "stomach pains, diarrhea, weakness, nausea, vomiting, blood in urine, difficulty breathing, seizures, and burning of mouth and throat."

"Heavy metal test came up negative," Chase says, while crossing out "Thallium poisoning."

"Where's House?" Thirteen interjects. The candidates look up watching the reactions between Chase and the fellows very carefully.

Chase coughs nervously. "He knows we're here."

"But…are you sure you're allowed to do that?" Kutner asks.

Chase's face pales slightly. He knows exactly what Kutner is implicating. _Should he be the one running the case_? All eyes are on him waiting for his response. He sees a tall figure enter the room and has an epiphany.

"Allowed to help a patient?" Chase says deadpan. All heads snap towards Kutner who smiles sheepishly.

"Well no." He says softly. He looks to Thirteen.

"What he means is, shouldn't we wait for House?" Thirteen clarifies.

"We'll fill him in." Chase says returning his attention to the board.

"He won't mind?" asks Kutner warily. The other fellows looked at him slightly amused. Kutner apparently has nothing against Chase running the case, but does not want to get on House's bad side.

"We could always wait for the patient to go into cardiac arrest again."

Kutner and Thirteen look at each other once more, but had no more objections. Chase smirks. He had learned from the best, and the dying patient argument works every time.

"Could it be diabetes?" Wildman's voice booms in from across the room, getting everyone back to the task at hand.

"He's thirty- six years old!" Thirteen exclaims.

He shrugs. "Four percent of American's don't know that they have it."

"His glucose level is normal."

"Burning in his mouth usually means some sort of food poisoning," Kutner points out.

"Trichinosis?" Anjali suggests.

"Doesn't eat pork."

"Botulism?" Luna proposes.

"Blood cultures came back negative."

"Oxalosis fits the symptoms," Ross says.

"He'd be dying from kidney failure, not cardiac arrest," says Wildman.

"Besides, he's losing calcium, not gaining it," adds Thirteen.

Chase looks at the chart and notes that the ER had performed a spinal tap when he first came in. There is a small, but significant drop in calcium content. He wonders if it has gone down any further. If it has, then it would explain the cardiac arrest.

"Thirteen go get another spinal tap. If the calcium content is lower than what was originally taken, put him on some calcium gluconate and fluids."

"But if it's still poisoning, the calcium gluconate could interact wrong with whatever's killing him."

"Or it could give us more time."

"It does explain the cardiac arrest," says Luna.

"Please, Dr. Hadley, I'm sure you've had to do far more unreasonable things for House." Thirteen is startled by her real name being called. She reluctantly gets up and heads for the patient's room.

"Dr. Luna would you please _help_ her?"

Luna gets up and stops at Wildman who's still standing by the door. He sees the large scratch on Wildman's neck.

"You alright?"

"The fiancée, caught me in the hall. Wanted to apologize for the fight. Then she went on and on about how the mother can't seem to let go of her son."

"Sometimes moms just don't know what's best for their kids," Luna says knowingly.

"What did you say?"

"Sometimes moms don't know what's best for their kids," Luna looks at Chase confused.

"Kutner did you search the mom's place?"

"No, why?"

"Finish testing everything in the lab. Wildman see if you can get more information out of the fiancée, and the rest of you go to the mom's house. See if there's anything in there."

"Why do I get stuck in the lab!" Kutner whines.

"Because the Great and Powerful Oz sees all!" House bellows from behind the curtains in his office, startling everyone in the room.

Kutner jumps and quickly runs out the door.

Chase and the candidates look at each other a little dumbfound.

"Don't just stand there! Hop to it!" He shouts at them again.

Chase opens his mouth to say something, but just shakes his head, and follows Wildman out the door.

He runs into Honeycutt who's running down the hall towards them and notices that her eyes are red and puffy.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," she says, looking over to Ross and blushing a little bit.

"Well, go with Ross and Anjali to search the mom's house." He nods to her and heads down the hall.

Honeycutt starts to walk towards them, but then she stops and turns around suddenly, "Why?"

Unfortunately, Chase is too far down the hall to hear her question.

"I think he wants us to figure that out for ourselves," says Anjali walking up to her.

"Does that mean he wants us to break in too?" Ross asks.

They all frown, not liking the idea of committing a felony.

"I'll meet you at the car," says Anjali, who quickly makes her way to the lab.

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Next Chapter: The case gets solved, but by who?

000--000

Author's note: Sorry if the medical stuff sounds a bit iffy too you. I'm not a medical professional, so that's probably the weakest part of my writing. I did research what all I could. Anyone know any good medical sites?

**Please R&R, constructive criticism is most welcome. Definitely have a special goodies for those of you who tell me what you think!**


	22. Searching for Epiphanies

Author's note: Hi everyone. Thanks for sticking with my story. Sorry I've been so egregiously late with my updates.

Here's a refresher: Cuddy gives Chase the second diagnostic team job she offered Foreman back in Season 3. Now he's picking his team in his own game of Survivor.

I've probably should explain that this story is obviously AU. Story takes place a few months after the end of season three. One of the major changes I've made is that Foreman is the Head of the Clinic, because in my mind, there's no way Foreman would never go back to work for House, and giving him a job that probably requires a bunch of paperwork, but not much clinical challenge is perfect revenge for the douche he became at the end of the year. Kutner and Thirteen are on House's team, but Taub isn't. One of House's fellows, (again, not Taub) quit on him, so he's short one fellow himself.

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Searching for Epiphanies

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A car pulls up to an enormous house in the older suburban part of town. Unlike all the other houses in the neighborhood this house needed a fresh coat of paint about ten years ago, some of the window hinges are falling down, there are bald patches on the lawn where the grass should be, and the gray clouds over head did not help the place look any less creepy. Someone would think that a man who fixes up condemned houses for a living would take better care of his mom's place. Three doctors exit the car.

Britney Honeycutt looks at the place and frowns. "I can't believe this is part of the job."

"Everyone lies…" Kutner says in his best House impression. Honeycutt looks at him doubtfully. He shrugs, "At least they don't know how many things in their own house can kill them."

Honeycutt looks to Logan Ross who just smirks at her.

"I've never had to break into anyone's house before."

"You've never snuck in past curfew?"

"Well…yeah, but…"

"It's kind of like that. No worries."

"Except for the whole getting carted off to jail part."

"For Christ sake's Britney, if you were so uncomfortable doing this, than you should have stayed with Anjali in the lab!" Ross says exasperated

"Seriously." Kutner scoffs.

"I didn't know that was an option," hisses Honeycutt, as she follows Kutner to the fence.

Kutner looks at the home trying to discern a way to get in.

"There's a gate!" He exclaims. He jogs over to it followed closely by Honeycutt.

Kutner jiggles the latch, but it's locked.

"Crap. Okay come on." He bends down and cups his hands.

"What?" Honeycutt looks at him dubiously.

"I'll give you a boost."

"Ew, no!"

"How else are you going to get in?"

Honeycutt frowns. She looks around and notices that someone is missing.

"Where's Logan?"

Kutner sighs. "You know, Chase isn't going to be impressed with all you guys punking out on him. I hear he was the go to guy for all the insane assignments."

"Why, because he was willing to do anything for his patients?"

"Because he couldn't say no to House."

Honeycutt arches her eyebrows. Tucking the statement in a corner of her mind where she places little tidbits about her would be boss, like where he went to medical school, and the fact that he apparently sold out his old boss. She lets out a sigh, "Fine." She begrudgingly uses Kutner's hands as a foot stool. He lifts her up, and she swings her legs over the fence, and then falls on her ass next to some petunias.

"My pants!" she cries as she sees mud splattered all over her nice cream slacks.

She hears a chuckle behind her. She looks over to see two shiny black patent leather shoes mocking her. Above her is Ross, clean pressed, and most importantly on this side of the wall.

Kutner lands next to her crushing the petunias.

"How'd you get in?" He asks.

"The front door was unlocked. Old women tend to forget that," replies Ross.

Kutner snaps his fingers. "Oh, I knew I forgot something."

000---000

Cameron has dealt with a weird tingling feeling in the back of her neck all day. It's the feeling a person gets when they dream that they are in the middle of the room naked and everyone is staring at him. Unfortunately the pounding between her eyes make it hard for her to concentrate on her patients much less indulge in feelings of being watched. She's pretty sure that the hangover from her night with Foreman is just heightening her feelings of paranoia, but then again… there have been a lot of strained smiles and averted eyes in her direction.

"Hi Dr. Cameron," a nurse's aide approaches her.

Cameron smiles, "Hi…" she concentrates trying to figure out the nurse's name. Gosh either this hangover is really affecting her or she's turning into House. The only thing that she could remember about the nurse is that her department head had to reprimand the girl for being to chatty with… everyone.

Luckily the nurse interrupts her, "I need you to sign out this patient." She hands Cameron the chart.

Cameron looks over the chart making sure everything is correct, but that tingling feeling comes back. She looks up and sees that the nurse's aide is looking at her strangely.

"Is there something else?"

The nurse's aide blushes. "Well I know that this isn't my business, but I have to say that I just admire what you're doing."

Cameron blinks. "Thanks…"

"When my ex, cheated on me I was slumming around for months trying to figure out what I did wrong, before I figured out that he was an ass and kicked him out the door. What you're doing is better. Breaking up with Dr. Chase, then moving on to the next one is the only way to get through the pain."

"I didn't break up with Dr. Chase." Cameron says, wondering what the hell is going on.

"Oh," the girl squeaks. "That's another way to go." She takes the chart and fails to hide a grimace as she walks away.

Cameron looks around the ER. She sees some of the PPTH employees huddled in groups and looking in her direction. Are they really talking about her?

She feels a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump.

"Cameron, sorry to scare you," says Wilson.

"It's okay."

Wilson looks at her and notes that she looks a bit drained. He wonders if it has anything to do with what he read this morning.

"Is everything alright?" he asks sympathetically. "I'm here if you want to talk."

Cameron throws her hands up in the air, frustrated. "What's going on? Why does every think I broke up with Chase?"

Wilson hears a group of nurses giggling in front of a computer. That only means one thing now a days.

He approaches the nurses from behind, coughing to get their attention. They all pale when they see Cameron standing next to Wilson. They scatter, one of their group minimizing the window before running away.

Wilson has Cameron take a seat. He maximizes the window, displaying Miss Informed's website. Cameron's eyes widen as she reads the headline.

"Dr. Cameron rebounds with Former Colleague: Fresh off her break from Dr. Chase, Dr. Cameron is seen getting cozy with Dr. Foreman, fellow former House employee and archrival, at our favorite university bar, Callahan's. Can anyone say revenge much?"

Cameron's fist form into tight little balls, and clenches her jaws. Wilson worries as she gets eerily quiet. Being one the main subjects of the sites gossip fodder, he wouldn't blame her for being pissed at people. Fact or fiction, no one wants their private life being broadcasted all over the hospital and speculated on by nosy nurses. He starts to put his hand on her shoulder when, the ER doors fly open.

Two paramedics come running in with someone bleeding all over the gurney.

"We need a doctor here!"

Cameron shakes her head and jumps out of the chair. She frantically runs after the gurney.

Wilson watches her with concern, as her blonde hair pass through the trauma room doors.

He shakes his head and reaches out to a nurse passing by. "Do you know who asked for an oncology consult?"

000---000

Dr. Honeycutt looks at her watch. She can't believe it would take half an hour to investigate the whole house for potential clues to the patient's condition. She shakes her head; a son should really take better care of his mother. She found socks in the silverware drawer, ant spray in the refrigerator, and a banana hanging on where the phone receiver should be.

She absently flips through a cookbook she finds on the counter, hoping the boys would finish their part of the house soon.

Simultaneously, the basement door slams and a thunderous rumble of someone running down the stairs interrupts the silent house, causing her to jump.

"Christ! Can't you two be a bit quieter?" Honeycutt asks clutching her heart.

"Why, no one's here?" Ross says swinging a full garbage bag onto the counter.

"What's that?"

"Potential toxins," he replies gleefully. "Where's yours?"

She holds up a single zip lock bag with a single sample.

"Please tell me you at least looked under the sink." He asks dryly.

"Of course." She says rolling her eyes at him. "What'd you find?"

Kutner smiles cheekily and shows up a whole bag full of pills. "Jackpot!"

000---000

"Hello, Mrs. Guthrie," Chase approaches the seemingly harmless elderly woman. She looks rather serene just sitting there holding her son's hand. Thirteen stands to the side checking on the patient's vitals. He could feel her disapproval seething towards the old woman. Chase had heard about the coffee throwing incident. He isn't quite sure what to make of that. His own mother would either be really possessive or forget he even existed depending on which best benefited her.

"Hello," Mrs. Guthrie answers giving him a hopeful smile.

"I'm Dr. Chase, I'm working on your son's case."

"Oh?"

"Did Kurt eat dinner at your home last night?"

She smiles at him like he asked a stupid question. "Well, of course he did."

"What did he have?"

"His favorites, fish sticks and macaroni and cheese, and his favorite pie for dessert."

Chase looks at the history noticing a discrepancy.

"Dr. Hadley, who did you get the history from?"

"The patient."

"Hm."

"What?"

"It just says that he ate meatloaf and Brussel sprouts last night. The only thing the same is the pie."

"Kurt hates Brussels sprouts. Won't touch them with a ten foot pole. I'm sure he regrets helping his father make that greenhouse for me in the backyard. I grow all my own vegetables. He's such a nice boy. He always helps me around the garden."

Chase and Thirteen both share a look, not knowing what to make of the discrepancy.

000---000

Foreman lays his head down on the soft couch cushion. He's had a long day so far. Patients crying for antibiotics for colds, parents freaking out over their child's ninety- nine point one temperature, and let's not forget, "reminding" several doctors that they needed to do their scheduled clinic hours. When he made this deal with Cuddy, he had her put into the contract that he would not be the one chasing down House. What he didn't know was that he had to chase down three other department heads, that were "too busy" to do their requisite five hours a week. Foreman had a feeling that Cuddy was so wrapped up in House, she forgot to hassle the other doctors who felt that they were too good to do clinic duty.

Foreman sighs. He feels like his doctor skills are starting to go to waste as the clinic administrator. Sure it looks great on his resume after being summarily dismissed by Mercy, but he could not help the feeling that he had taken a step back in some way. Maybe he should have taken Cuddy's offer to be House's guard dog. He closes his eyes and tries to banish that thought from his mind.

There's no amount of complaining and bodily fluids being spewed at him that will ever make him desperate enough to work with House again.

The door to the doctor's lounge slams open.

"What happened when we went out?"

Foreman opens his eyes. He sits up and looks over the couch to the door where he sees Cameron fuming.

He looks at her confused. Didn't they talk about this already?

"That's for you right?" asks a drowsy surgical resident who's lying on the other couch.

"Do you mind?" Foreman hisses.

The resident grumbles as he lies back down.

Foreman looks back to Cameron. "Not much."

"Then why do people think we slept together?"

Foreman blinks, "Excuse me?"

Cameron goes to sit next to Foreman, and show him the website on her iphone.

Foreman laughs as Cameron frowns disapprovingly. "The blog, seriously? Last week it said that I gave Cuddy a blowjob and booty call privileges as part of my contract."

"But people think it's true."

"So."

"So?" Cameron shrieks.

They hear a loud growl.

The surgical resident jumps off the couch.

"The horny surgical interns in the on call room are quieter than you two," he grumbles and leaves the room.

They continue to glare at each other, not really caring about some anonymous resident.

"Cameron it's a rumor, the grapevine will move onto next juicy piece of gossip and forget about us." Foreman takes a closer look at the site. "See, there's already a new bulletin, 'Head of Radiology and secretary come out of office looking disheveled after being behind close doors for hours.' …Actually, that one may have something to it."

"See Foreman! This website is ruining people's lives here, what if his wife read that and thought that something was really going on?"

"Calm down, Cameron! I was just joking. Is this about Chase? You're the one who thinks he's cheating."

Cameron scowls, and turns around in a huff making a beeline for the door.

Foreman curses underneath his breath. "Wait." He runs in front of Cameron placing himself between her and the door. Cameron stops she stands there stiffly, crossing her arms over her chest and avoiding his eyes.

Foreman sighs, "I'm sorry. I had a hard day, and I'm just annoyed that I somehow got caught up in the middle of this insane fight you two are having."

"So, I'm just being a jealous girlfriend, then?"

"That's not what I meant," Foreman says rubbing his bald head in frustration. "Look, I don't pretend to know your relationship, but you should probably talk to him instead of me. We're meeting up tonight, maybe you should join us?"

Cameron just glares at Foreman. "I'm busy." She says curtly, and sidesteps past him and rushes quickly out the door.

000---000

Chase finds Wildman sitting on a bench just outside the Emergency Room doors, talking with the fiancée since she got kicked out of the hospital.

"The first time I met her she cooked dinner for us. I thought she was very welcoming, then when I suggested that her dish could use more salt, she goes ballistic and starts weeping. Then he kicks me out of the house! I should have listened to my sister, never date a momma's boy, you're always going to be the second girl in his life. He actually cancels his plans with me to be with her…then he lies about it!"

Chase has to stifle a chuckle when he gets close enough to see the zoned out expression on Wildman's face.

"Dr Wildman," Chase coughs.

Wildman blinks a couple of times before turning his head towards the voice. Chase is impressed by the man's quick recovery.

"Is everything okay with Kurt?" the fiancée asks.

"There's no change, but he's stable for now."

Chase nods for Wildman to follow him.

"You should go home. Someone will call you if anything changes." Wildman suggests, as he quickly leaves to follow Chase.

They pass through the sliding glass of the ER. 

"Did you pay attention to any of that, or were you taking a nap?"

Wildman smiles impishly, impressed that Chase caught him. To a casual observer, Wildman usually looks like an invested listener. "You get used to not rolling your eyes when you listen to teenage girls complain about pimples ruining their social lives, everyday for two years. Besides, she didn't say anything that would help the case."

"You sure about that?"

"Very."

Chase nods his head. They pass by the doctor's lounge as the door swings open. Cameron stops short, as she sees Chase before her.

"Hi."

"Hi."

They share an awkward look before Cameron walks pass without another word.

Chase looks into the doctor's lounge to see Foreman standing in the middle of the room shaking his head. Chase gives him a quizzical brow, which Foreman responds with a guilty smile. He closes the door between them.

Chase and Wildman make their way down the hall. He is getting really tired with feeling awkward around his former coworkers.

"Who were they?" Wildman asks taking Chase away from his thoughts.

Chase lets out a sigh, that doesn't go unnoticed by Wildman. "That's Foreman and Cameron, we used to work for House together."

"Oh." If Wildman has anything else on his mind, he keeps it to himself.

They reach the elevators. The doors open. Inside is a mother brushing off crumbs off a cute little four year old girl, whose holding a box of animal crackers. The mother takes the girls hand and leads her out of the elevator.

The little girl stops and hands a cookie to Wildman and Chase as she is lead away.

They step into the elevator.

Wildman examines his cookie. "I've got a headless camel. What did you get?"

Chase looks down at his cookie. His eyes go wide, when he realizes something. _What kind of adult eats fish sticks? _

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Please review! I appreciate all criticism, even flames.

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	23. Fishsticks and Animal Crackers

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Fishsticks and Animal Crackers

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Luna and Thirteen watch as Chase enters the conference room, with a swagger that they have not seen from him previously. They look at each other curiously.

"Hadley, was the girlfriend in the room while you were getting the patient's history."

"Yes, why? He was very open about his history. He even admitted to her that he got syphilis and gonorrhea from his old girlfriends.

"It's not history that he's lying about."

Kutner comes bounding in with Ross, Honeycutt, and Anjali following him.

"We come bearing gifts," Kutner announces as he tosses a pill bottle to Thirteen, that catches her by surprise. "Mrs. Guthrie has…"

"Severe dementia," Chase finishes.

They all look at him shocked.

"Yeah, how do you know?" asks Kutner.

Wildman walks in. "You're right. She thinks he's twelve," he says handing her medical file to Chase.

"Is that a metaphor?" asks Kutner.

"No."

"Severe dementia explains the mood swings, and violent outburst," says Luna catching on to what they are talking about.

"What does the mother's history have to do with our case?" asks Honeycutt.

"Depends on what you found in the house."

Ross happily dumps the contents of his trash bag on the conference room table.

Chase grimaces as he looks through the junk. "You could have just dropped it off at the lab. Did you find any of this stuff in the kitchen?"

"No," Ross says looking at his feet, "Honeycutt did the kitchen."

They all look to Honeycutt who seems to shrink in her seat with the attention.

"There was mold underneath the sink," she squeaks. Everyone rolls their eyes at her, clearly thinking that her find isn't significant to the case." Honeycutt squints, thinking about anything that she noticed which might help the case, but for some reason nervousness was over taking her, so she continued to babble. "Everything was pretty clean, except I found ant spray and baby powder in the refrigerator."

She stands up straighter, "Oh." Finally realizing why the mother's history is so important. "You mean she could have put sugar in the soup instead of salt?"

"Except instead sugar, a highly toxic substance," says Luna dryly.

Anjali grabs a bottle of antspray on the table.

"Is this the same brand?" she asks. Honeycutt nods, as Anjali looks through the ingredients. "These chemicals would have been found in the test I ran…"

"You ran?" Chase asks.

Anjali's eyes go wide, realizing she let something slip. "Um, I…"

"Baby powder isn't poisonous," Wildman interrupts. "They used that to snort instead of cocaine in the making of Scarface."

Ross and Thirteen give Wildman an incredulous look. _Is this guy kidding? _They both think. He pays them no attention and gives Anjali a sly wink.

"I actually knew that," smirks Chase. "So this stuff isn't going to get tested by itself." Chase's fellows and Kutner scramble out of their seats, while Thirteen remains seated.

"So that's all you've got?" asks Thirteen challengingly.

"Do you have something to add, Dr. Hadley?" Chase asks, causing everyone to stop short.

"Maybe we should tell House what we discovered. He might have a diagnosis."

Chase clenches his jaw. He really has had it with Thirteen. It is not his fault that House decided to be more difficult than usual to be found, today. "Okay, you look for him, we'll continue working on the case," Chase says condescendingly.

Thirteen gets up and stomps out of the room. Chase lets out a sigh. He looks down at the samples on the table, and notices a near- empty bag of fertilizer.

"What did you find that in the greenhouse?"

"Green house? What greenhouse?" asks Kutner.

"Mrs. Guthrie, mentioned something about a greenhouse being built on the property."

"Yeah, but she also thinks the patient is in the sixth grade," says Ross, curtly.

"The house is huge," says Kutner pensively. "She's probably lived in the house since he was in sixth grade. I'll go back and check." He hurries out of the room.

Chase's beeper goes off. He scrunches his face in confusion as he sees the number. "I'll be back," he exits the conference room, leaving the remaining fellows to figure out something to do."

000---000

Kutner hops over the fence in the backyard, regretting Honeycutt's decision to lock the front door after they had left the first time.

He has actually been really impressed by Chase's handling of the case. He wonders why Thirteen was getting herself worked up over Chase taking over the case while House is Missing in Action for the better part of the day. Sure, he was fired by House, but House wouldn't have disappeared if he did not think Chase could do the job…right? Oh hell, knowing House he is probably planning some elaborate prank on Wilson, or Cuddy, or watching a squid mate with whale in Coma Guy's room.

Kutner looks around the backyard. He sees a path leading the fence covered with vines. Paths don't just stop at the wall for no reason. Kutner heads to that part of the fence. He moves the vines and sees a secret door. He opens the door and on the other side is a huge green house.

He walks into the green house and finds himself confronted with hundreds unmarked green plants. "Shit."

000---000

Chase heads back to the conference room, grumbling. Why would the clinic call him down there to consult on a simple case of bloody diarrhea? He barely stepped onto the elevator when they paged him again, for a bad case of the cramps.

He walks into the conference room and stops short. Luna and Anjali have their laptops out, and Ross is at the office computer. All are furiously typing on their keyboards. Wildman paces the room talking earnestly on his cell phone like he is coordinating a covert op command center.

"Uh, hi?" Is the only think Chase can think to say.

"Here's the next picture," says Wildman, acting like Chase hadn't even entered the room.

"I'm free!" shouts Luna.

Wildman walks over to him and shows him the picture on his phone.

"He's joking right? We found that one ten minutes ago!"

Chase just stands there confused.

"Then what is it?" asks the voice on the other line.

"Fennel." Luna says in an exasperated voice.

"Are you sure I already sent…"

"Yes!" shouts all three doctors on the computer.

"Is that Kutner?" Chase asks recognizing the voice on the phone.

"Yeah, he found the green house," replies Honeycutt, who sits on the couch with several books spread out in front of her.

"Okay."

"The plants aren't labeled, so Kutner's texting us the pictures and we're looking them up on line…" explains Wildman.

"and in these readers," adds Honeycutt, holding up a book, _Boy Scouts Manual to Poisonous Plants. _

"What about the lab?"

"There's a lot of plants," says Honeycutt solemnly.

"And he keeps texting us the same plant twice," scoffs Anjali.

"Besides, Anjali pointed out that most of the potential toxins we found in the home, would be found on the test we already ran," says Luna.

"That's a root, you're going to need to dig it out," says Wildman on the phone.

He gets the picture. "It looks like some sort of turnip." He shows the picture to the others.

"It's a mooli," says Anjali.

"It's a Chinese radish," says Luna.

"No, it's a daikon, right ?" says Ross. He looks to Wildman for support, but the other man just shrugs.

They start to argue. Chase goes over to Wildman and takes a look at the picture.

"Uh guys," Chase interrupts the squabbling. "You're all right."

The all quiet down abruptly.

"They're all just different names for the same vegetable."

The three blush a little in embarrassment.

Chase's beeper goes off. He rolls his eyes, it's the clinic again.

"Well, keep at it. Page me if anything else comes up." He heads out the door.

The door shuts behind him. They group here's snickering

Anjali glares at Wildman, whose shoulders are shaking, as he is trying to keep in a chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

Wildman shakes his head. Luna lets out a snort. They both bust out laughing.

Anjali pouts. "Oh shut up! You were arguing too."

"So?" Luna wipes his eyes, "It is kind of funny."

"No it's not," grunts Ross, "We looked like idiots."

"Why don't you tell us what this is, slick?" says Wildman, as he shows Kutner's next text. Ross shrugs. He starts looking up the plant on the internet.

Anjali gets a look at it, "It's thyme."

"You sure of about that one?" ask Wildman, giving her a small smirk.

"Very."

"Time? Time for what?" asks Kutner through the speaker phone.

"Thyme, the herb," explains Anjali, "not time the clock."

"My clock says three fifty- five."

"No, the herb thyme, not time, time," Anjali exasperates slapping her forehead. "Not poisonous, next picture!"

They hear snickering on the other end.

Anjali's eyes widen, as everyone else starts laughing. She realizes that Kutner was joking.

She crosses her arms across her chest. "Ha, ha, walked right into that one." No one stops laughing. "Oh come on people, there's a life at stake!"

The laughter grows louder.

The conference door swings open. Cuddy enters the room, giving them a look not to be messed with. "What's going on here?"

The laughter immediately subsides, they all look at each other guiltily.

"Can't you tell," House says appearing behind Cuddy, holding a Big Gulp. "They're all playing War Craft." He takes a loud slurp of his slushie.

000---000

Chase's fellows as Cuddy yells at House outside.

"Do you think we should be worried," asks Honeycutt.

"No," replies Luna dryly, remembering that House had locked them up in this very conference room. "It probably has nothing to do with us."

"You think it might be about Dr. Chase, he is his boss."

"I think if she wanted to yell at Dr. Chase, she'd yell at Dr. Chase."

Wildman whistles to get their attention. "Next one, it looks like lettuce."

"I've never seen lettuce with a purple stalk before," says Anjali.

"It's rhubarb," says Honeycutt.

"Did you say rootbeer?" asks Kutner through the phone.

"No," replies Anjali slightly annoyed that he's trying the same joke twice. "How do you spell it, I'll look it up."

"Don't bother," says Wildman, "it's edible, I've eaten it before." He turns his attention to the next picture sent.

"Unless you accidentally cook the leaves." Honeycutt says inconsequentially.

000---000

Wilson's work is interrupted by a loud commotion from the hallway. He peeks out and sees House and Cuddy in a heated argument.

"House, I thought I told you to give Chase the case, not take over his team!" exclaims Cuddy.

"Believe me, this is all Chase."

Cuddy's vein in her forehead starts throbbing. "And what have you been doing all day?"

"Errands." He takes another large slurp from his slushie.

"House just because I gave Chase your case, doesn't mean that you can skip clinic duty."

"But what incentive do I have to leave Chase alone?" House smirks cheekily.

They hear chuckling behind them. They turn to see Wilson leaning against the wall watching them with much amusement.

"What's so funny?" snaps Cuddy.

"Just the world setting itself right," Wilson says impishly. "I was beginning to worry with al the Chase bashing, going around."

Suddenly the door swings open and Wildman and Luna go sprinting down the hall.

The doctors look at each other and to the remaining doctors in the conference room wondering what's going on.

000---000

Chase walks out of the clinic exam room feeling a bit put out. He goes over to the Nurse's Station.

"Can you please page Dr. Cuddy for me?" he asks the nurse on duty.

"Bad idea, she's House hunting," a cheery voice says next to him.

Chase turns to see Rebecca leaning on the counter next to him.

"Of course when I first heard someone tell me that, I thought that they were talking about real estate so I asked who her agent was."

Chase chuckles. "Why were you looking for her?"

"I wasn't, but Foreman was."

"Do you know anything about the Clinic, paging me every five minutes."

"Well…" she gives Chase a cheeky smile, "Cuddy told everyone to get a consult from you if they think they have a complicated case. Then, Foreman came back from the doctor's lounge looking rather pissed off, and said we should page you for anything that can't be solved with a prescription of antibiotics."

Chase lets out a groan remembering seeing Cameron exit the doctor's lounge in a huff, and Foreman slamming the door in his face. Obviously they were talking about him, and it did not go well. "I think this is his way of getting back at me."

"This place sure has a weird way of getting revenge. Should make dinner interesting,"

Chase raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean…" A high pitch beep interrupts his sentence. He looks at his beeper, it's a 9-1-1 from the diagnostic conference room.

"I've got to go," says Chase a bit distracted. "Can you ask Hobbs to please do a blood test before he pages me next time."

000---000

Chase runs into the conference room to find House and Cuddy talking with his fellows.

"This can't be good," he thinks to himself.

He walks into the room.

Cuddy hangs up her cell phone. "I've got you a room, so you need to hurry and scrub up." She breezes past him.

"What's going on?" Chase asks.

"The results from the lumbar puncture we did earlier confirm the diagnosis," says Anjali.

"No time for chit chat now, the wombat needs to put on his surgical gloves," says House, as he exits the room

"I figured it out," Honeycutt says as she runs up to him like an eager puppy, her actions soliciting an eye roll from Ross and Anjali. "It's rhubarb poisoning!"

Chase looks at her blankly, little overwhelmed by the frenetic energy in the room.

"What's a rhubarb?"

000---000

Chase's would- be fellows, Kutner and Thirteen gather in the observation room above the surgery. They watch as Chase performs a gastric lavage on his patient.

"Why would anyone lie about taking care of their mother," Honeycutt wonders. "He even lied that he ate raspberry pie, because his fiancée knew that he only eats rhubarb pie that his mother makes. I'd be very impressed with a man who was so devoted to his mother."

"Yeah, but would you marry him?" asks Wildman. All eyes turn to him who keeps his as he keeps his eyes on the surgery.

"I'm sure, 'my mom has a debilitating, degenerative disease' is a great selling point with the ladies," says Ross sarcastically.

"Yeah, better to trap her into marriage, by lying to her," retorts Luna.

"It's called divorce. People leave each other for a whole lot less."

Thirteen clears her throat. "I'm going to update the fiancée." She sulks out of the room.

The other fellows look to Kutner curious about her reaction.

"What was that about?" asks Anjali.

Kutner starts counting the ceiling tiles. "Um… a debilitating degenerative disease."

Wildman shrugs. "If you really love someone, you give them a choice."

000---000

Chase closes his eyes as he sits on the bench out side the surgical room. The surgery went well, now all he to see if his efforts were on time, or too little too late.

He hears someone approach him. He doesn't have to opens his eyes to know who the loud thud is coming from.

"Well that was quite a performance," a mocking voice says. "So you really don't need a team, you just need a laptop with internet access."

"At least we solved the case," says Chase tiredly.

"No, google did. I at least knew that rhubarb was a fruit." House takes a seat by Chase.

Chase pops his eyes open. "How did you know I didn't…did you have a web cam on us?"

"I have more interesting things to watch than the baby wallaby's running around like headless chickens. There was another episode of 'Who's your daddy?' on Maury Pouvich."

Chase smirks, knowing very well that House was lying, "Sure." He closes his eyes again.

"Interesting tactic, diagnosising someone who isn't a patient."

"See, I did learn something from you," Chase he opens one eye and looks sideways at House. "You're not going to hit me for solving your case again?"

"Naw, it wasn't my case," House says as he takes a large slurp from his slushie. "Cuddy told me to give it to you."

"Thanks for not telling Thirteen and Kutner, by the way, they were really helpful."

"Oh, I know," House slyly grins. "They'll be especially helpful, when they're checking on what's-his-name's status." House gets up and exits.

Chase closes his eyes and chuckles, "Thanks, House."

000---000

Chase's fellows file into his refrigerator of an office in the Shelly Wing.

They silently gather their stuff to leave for the day.

Wildman slings his backpack over his shoulders. "Anyone care to get a drink?"

"What for?" asks Ross.

Wildman shrugs. "It's the end of the day."

"Sure you don't have any ulterior motives in wanting to get a drink with us?"

"Of course. I'd like some company," he gives Ross a cheeky grin. "Feel free not to come."

Luna lets out a breath, "I'm down. Kutner told me about this bar nearby we can check out."

"I'm down… in, too" says Honeycutt dorkily. "Sounds fun."

"Yea!" Ross mimics her condescendingly. Honeycutt pouts her lips, hurt. Ross sees her reaction and looks at the ground.

"What about you, Asha?" asks Wildman.

"Maybe," she says noncommittally.

They all start to head out the door, when Chase comes breezing in, along with a huge stack of paper work Cuddy gave him.

"Good night, everyone," he says as he gets behind his desk. He bangs on his drawer to try to get it open.

The candidates stand around awkwardly. They nudge Wildman.

"See you tomorrow?"

"See you… Please be here by nine." He starts looking through the paperwork.

"In this office?" Wildman makes a face.

"Unfortunately."

"So you're not going to fire anyone?" Ross asks.

"I've got two weeks to do that, unless you guys want me to choose now."

The fellows all look at each other, and head out the door.

Anjali is about to exit, when Chase calls her. She turns around nervously.

She looks at him expectantly. Chase wonders whether or not to confront her, since most of the time he is perfectly willing to let people be, but he thinks that he should say something, since he is technically her boss.

"Why do you want to work here?"

"It's a great opportunity to learn and expand my skills as a doctor," she answers a little too quickly.

_Curious, _Chase thinks to himself. That's the exact same answer she gave in the interview. "Yet you hide the lab?"

Anjali shifts uncomfortably. "I wasn't hiding," she says evenly, "I just thought my expertise would be better suited testing in the lab."

Chase looks at her a bit amused. "I thought learning means doing things you aren't an expert at?"

Anjali is taken aback.

"I'm sorry," she stammers.

"Uh…I don't want an apology."

Anjali takes a breath and composes herself. "Are you going to fire me?"

Chase looks back down at his paper work. "Like I said, I have two weeks to fire people."

Anjali nods and takes this as her cue to walk out.

Chase lays back into his chair and lets out a breath. _That wasn't so bad._

"Dr. Chase." Anjali pops back into the door frame causing him jump.

"Um… I just wanted to mention that I really need… I mean want this job. I can't… well, I promise to do better." She gives him a tight smile, and exits.

000---000

"Yeah, I'm in the lobby…see you soon." Chase hangs up his cell phone.

Chase waits for Foreman so that they can have their "talk." He called him up and suggested that they go out to eat, away from the prying ears of the PPTH staff.

Chase paces the lobby. He stops short when he sees Allison Cameron walking towards him.

"Hi."

"Hi." They give each other a stilted greeting.

"Foreman said that you were going to talk, and that I should come with you," says Cameron.

"That's… nice," says Chase who's aqua eyes meet her green ones, looking at her hopefully.

"Hi," Foreman says as he approaches them. "You're coming?"

"I guess I am," says Cameron, not breaking eye contact from Chase.

"Great, I'm starving," a fourth voice appears, startling them. "So is this place in walking distance?"

0000000---0000000

Please review! I appreciate all criticism, even flames.

Author's Query: Who do you think Chase is going to pick?

000---000

Next Chapter: It's Happy Hour and Foreman screwed up and invited an unwelcome dinner guest. Alcohol tends to bring a lot of things out into the open.


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